little owie
1
7.5
- noun
- /ˈlɪtəl ˈaʊi/
- Baby Talk
- When he fell off his bike, he cried because he had a little owie on his knee.
Examples
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She showed me the little owie on her finger after she accidentally touched the hot stove.
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Be careful not to bump your head; I don't want you to get a little owie.
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Did you get a little owie on your neck?
Synonyms
54
7.2
A small mistake or little injury described in a childlike way
3
5.2
A small cut or bruise that a child gets when they fall
1
9.6
A small cut or bruise a child gets when they fall
A small hurt on the body that children often point to
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
little + owie
The meaning 'a small injury' is directly compositional: 'little' = small and 'owie' is a childishly formed noun from 'ow/ouch' meaning a hurt, so the phrase denotes a minor hurt. Although 'owie' is informal and may not appear in dictionaries, the pattern 'little + [noun for hurt]' is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun little owie comes from child talk: owie is a babyish word copying a child's cry when they get hurt, and little makes it small and gentle. Parents used the cute phrase to calm children and point to a small, not serious hurt, so today little owie means 'a small injury'.