Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Bronx cheer

 
Dictionary: Bronx cheer

n. Slang
A loud sound expressing disapproval; a raspberry.

[After the BRONX.]


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
Wordsmith Words: Bronx cheer
Top

(brongks cheer)

noun
1. A rude sound indicating disapproval, made by sticking the tongue partly out between the lips and blowing air out in a simulation of flatulence.
2. Any expression of derision or contempt.

Etymology
Probably after the Bronx, a borough of New York City, the home of Yankee Stadium, where Yankees fans often expressed their opinion of the umpire's decision or an unfavorable play that way

Bronx cheer has a rather unusual synonym: raspberry (also razzberry, often shortened to razz). How in the world could a sound like that come to be known as a raspberry? To learn this we take a peek at the fascinating working of rhyming slang. "Raspberry tart" was used as a code for "fart" and then the rhyming part was dropped. Other examples of rhyming slang are "butchers" for "look", as in "Take a butchers at this!" (from butcher's hook); "apples" for "stairs" (from apples and pears); china for mate (from china plate).
Best-known rhyming slang was used by generations of London Cockneys, but similar rhyming slang is found in many other parts of the world.
Some believe the reference to raspberry is from the appearance of the tongue while "cheering".

Usage
"It wasn't a unanimous Bronx cheer. Many fans stood and applauded for Martinez. Years of excellence outweigh one bad game. Still, it was an out-of-body experience to hear any boos for Pedro on Opening Night at Fenway Park." — Dan Shaughnessy; Voices of Fans Are Heard; Boston Globe; Apr 13, 2003.


Thesaurus: Bronx cheer
Top
WordNet: Bronx cheer
Top
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
  Synonyms: boo, hoot, hiss, raspberry, razzing, snort, bird


Wikipedia: Blowing a raspberry
Top

Blowing a raspberry or strawberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise signifying derision (and/or silliness), made by sticking out the tongue between the lips and blowing to make a sound reminiscent of flatulence. In the terminology of phonetics, this sound can be described as an unvoiced linguolabial trill [r̼̊]. It is never used in human language phonemically (i.e., to be used as a building block of words), but it is widely used across human cultures.

Nomenclature varies: in the US, Bronx cheer is sometimes used; otherwise, in the US and in other English-speaking countries, it is known as a raspberry, rasp or razz—the origin of which is an instance of rhyming slang, in which the non-rhyming part of a rhyming phrase is used as a synonym. In this case, "raspberry tart" rhymes with "fart".[1] It is first recorded in 1890.[2]

The term "Bronx Cheer" is used ironically because it is not a cheer, it is used to show disapproval. The term originated as a reference to the sound used by some spectators in Yankee Stadium, located in the Bronx, New York City.[3]

Contents

Usage

One of the most famous uses of the Bronx cheer is in the song "Der Fuehrer's Face" (from the Disney animated film of the same name), as recorded by musical comedian Spike Jones in 1942, which shows disdain for Adolf Hitler with the repeated refrain "We Heil! (Bronx cheer) Heil! (Bronx cheer) Right in Der Fuehrer's Face!"

The term "flipping the bird", better known nowadays as "giving the finger", an obscene gesture, was also once used in reference to the Bronx cheer.[citation needed] For example, the "razz" sound made by the Spike Jones orchestra for "Der Fuehrer's Face" and other songs was produced by a device called the "birdaphone".

The Golden Raspberry Awards, actually a parody of the Oscars, are designed to dishonor the worst films, actors, directors, etc.

See also

References

  1. ^ Bryson, Bill (1990). The Mother Tongue: English & How It Got That Way (Trade printing, September 1991 ed.). Avon Books. p. 238. ISBN 0-380-71543-0. 
  2. ^ "raspberry". The Mavens' Word of the Day. Random House. 1998-04-13. http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=1998-04-13. Retrieved September 19 2005. 
  3. ^ David Hinkley, "Scorn and disdain: Spike Jones giffs Hitler der old birdaphone, 1942." New York Daily News,"March 3, 2004.http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2004/03/03/2004-03-03_scorn_and_disdain_spike_jone.html; http://books.google.com/books?id=4YfsEgHLjboC&pg=PA270&lpg=PA270&dq=%2522bronx+cheer%2522+etymology&source=web&ots=7IPKN4oW2g&sig=0PEu-TSsn94XJjLOdtwO_Fm_ynQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result%23PPA269

External links


 
 
Learn More
razz
Bronx Cheer (Rock Band, '60s, '70s)
Chas Johnson (Rock Artist, '70s)

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Blowing a raspberry" Read more

 

Mentioned in