romeo

Everyday

1. (a name) Romeo is a boy's name; the most famous Romeo is the young lover in Shakespeare's play «Romeo and Juliet». tree →
2. (informal) A young man who flirts a lot or acts like a romantic lover: «he thinks he's a real Romeo». tree →
3. In the radio spelling alphabet (NATO), «Romeo» stands for the letter R. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and everyday life it is used for a boy who is very romantic. In the spelling alphabet used by pilots, police and soldiers, R is said as «Romeo» so it is not misheard. Phrases: «a real Romeo», «Romeo and Juliet», «Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo».

Examples

• In the spelling alphabet, R is «Romeo». tree →
• «Romeo and Juliet» is a sad love story by Shakespeare. tree →
• He's a bit of a Romeo, always giving girls flowers. tree →
• The pilot spelt R-A-Y as «Romeo, Alpha, Yankee». tree →
• Romeo is a popular boy's name in Italy. tree →
• Our cat is called Romeo. tree →
• The boy’s real name was Romeo, but everyone called him Lamp-Wick, for he was long and thin and had a woebegone look about him. tree →

Note

Usually with a capital letter. Trap: «wherefore art thou Romeo» means «why are you Romeo?» (why are you from the enemy family), not «where are you». Calling someone «a Romeo» is light teasing.