goo-goo

goo-goo · noun¹

1. Tagalog · derived fromgaga“female idiot; female fool”
2. Tagalog · derived fromgago“idiot; fool; simpleton”
3. English todaygoo-goo

First attested circa 1899, in US military slang, probably from American soldiers during the Philippine-American War hearing Tagalog gago (“idiot; fool; simpleton”) and Tagalog gaga (“female idiot; female fool”) and considering it to sound like babbling (goo goo ga ga). Possibly influenced by goo-goo eyes, which "was in vogue c. 1900 and may have contributed to this somehow" since early uses of goo-goo and gook refer specifically to prostitutes who followed army camps. See also gook.

goo-goo · noun²

From good government. Attested from the 1890s.

goo-goo · adjective³

Uncertain; perhaps from goggle. Attested from 1900.