Several dictionaries cite 1988 as the first time the word himbo was used. By then, the word "bimbo", which earlier in the 20th century had been used for both males and females, was being used predominately for females, so himbo, a combination of "him" and "bimbo", was coined to refer specifically to males. "The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English" cites a 1988 "Washington Post" description of a "macho himbo who strutted the Croisette wearing a 16 foot python like a stole around his shoulders and neck".