cou cou

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableregional

   A Caribbean dish made from cornmeal and okra, often served with fish or sauce.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable as a food: some cou-cou, a plate of cou-cou.

   Patterns

   • cou-cou and flying fish
   • a plate of cou-cou
   • make cou-cou

   In Barbados, cou-cou and flying fish is a national dish.

   She stirred the pot of cou-cou until it was smooth.

   We ordered cou-cou with a spicy tomato sauce.

2. 2interjectioninformalregional

   A friendly call or greeting, used especially in French-speaking countries and parts of the Caribbean.

   Grammar: Said on its own when meeting someone or getting attention.

   Patterns

   • cou cou!
   • say cou cou to someone

   Cou cou! Is anyone home?

   He waved and called, "Cou cou!" across the street.

3. 3nouncountablechild language

   A children's word for a small bird or for the sound a bird makes.

   Grammar: Countable when it means a bird: a cou cou, two cou cous.

   Patterns

   • a cou cou
   • the cou cou sings

   Look at the little cou cou in the tree!

   The child clapped when the cou cou sang.

Word forms

Common combinations

cou-cou and flying fish

Cou-cou and flying fish is a classic Barbadian meal.

a plate of cou-cou

He finished a plate of cou-cou in minutes.

stir the cou-cou

You have to stir the cou-cou so it doesn't stick.

say cou cou

She said cou cou to her neighbor over the fence.

Synonyms and how they differ

cornmeal mush

A plain, general name for cooked cornmeal; cou-cou is the Caribbean version, usually with okra.

polenta

An Italian cooked cornmeal dish; similar in texture but not the same recipe or tradition.

hello

The everyday English greeting; cou cou is a playful, French-influenced equivalent.

Commonly confused: cou cou or cuckoo? cou cou or coo coo?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cou cou”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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