the.com/kiddo
The word you use when you forgot their name but not your affection.
means An informal, affectionate way to address a child or younger person — or anyone you want to speak to warmly and casually.
from Simply 'kid' plus the informal '-o' suffix (the same ending you see in 'cheapo' or 'weirdo'), which English likes to slap onto words to make them feel breezy and familiar. 'Kid' itself originally meant a young goat, and only slid over to mean 'child' in casual slang before kiddo tagged along as its friendlier, pat-on-the-head cousin.
- origin
- kid plus -o, American slang, early 1900s
- power move
- used by bosses, coaches, and smug old men equally
- tone range
- works as both endearment and veiled condescension
- never ages
- applies to toddlers and forty year olds alike