Meaning
In Liverpool English, boss is an informal positive adjective meaning very good, excellent, brilliant, or great.
How it is used
The University of Liverpool's English Language Centre teaches boss to newcomers as 'very good' and gives ordinary evaluative examples. The same positive sense is widely recognizable in Liverpool speech, but Maperla does not claim that every slang use of boss meaning excellent originated in the city.
Examples
- “That new café is boss.”
- “The gig last night was boss.”
- “Those seats are boss for the match.”
Pronunciation
/bɒs/ · BOSS
Tone and register
Enthusiastic, casual, and approving.
Visitor guidance
Context normally makes the Liverpool sense clear because it describes something positively rather than referring to a manager or person in charge.
Cultural context
Boss is useful because an extremely common Standard English word carries a locally salient second meaning in Scouse conversation.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.