List of CB slang

CB slang is the distinctive anti-language, argot or cant which developed amongst users of Citizens Band radio (CB), especially truck drivers in the USA during the 1970s and early-1980s.[1]

CB and its distinctive language started in the USA but was then exported to other countries including Mexico, Germany and Canada. In the French-speaking region of Canada, the cultural defensiveness associated with the French language generated conflict and adaptation of the new loan words.[2]

Popular terms

Law enforcement officers and their equipment

"Checkpoint Charlie"
a police checkpoint placed to look for drunk drivers, etc. (refers to the border crossing between East and West Berlin)
"Evel Knievel"
a police officer on a motorcycle (refers to the popular motorcycle stuntman)
"Gum ball machine" / "bubble gum machine"
a state police patrol car or other police cruiser (refers to the tall dome-shaped red signal light commonly mounted on the roof of state police cars, which resembles a traditional "penny" gumball machine)
"Miss Piggy"
a female law enforcement officer (refers to the muppet character, derived from the pejorative term "pig" for police officers)
"Smokey" or "Bear"
a police officer (refers to Smokey Bear, known for wearing a campaign hat very similar to that included in many highway patrol uniforms in the United States)

Trucks and other non-police vehicles

"Aircraft carrier"
Truck carrying a disassembled aircraft, helicopter, or a small plane.
"Bulldog"
a Mack Tractor, noted for the bulldog hood ornament.
"Bullfrog"
An ABF truck
"Buster Brown"
a United Parcel Service truck.
"Jimmy"
a GMC truck.
"Pete"
a Peterbilt truck.
"Pregnant Rollerskate"
a Volkswagen Beetle.
"Pumpkin"/ "Pumpkin roller" 
a Schneider National, Inc. truck.
"Thermos Bottle"
Driver pulling a chemical trailer
"Reefer"
A refrigerated trailer or flatbed trailer hauling a refrigerated container.

Destinations

"Beantown"
Boston, Massachusetts
"Big D"
Dallas, Texas
"Disney Town"
Anaheim, California and the surrounding areas (After the Disneyland Resort)
"T Town"
Texarkana, Texas and / or Texarkana, Arkansas
"Taco Town"
San Antonio, Texas

Other popular terms

"01"
The first stop on a load, or first pick up location.
"02, 03, 04, etc."
The stops in order of their occurrence on a load. 02 would be second stop, 03 is the third, and so on.
"4-10"
A reversal of the ten code "10-4", when asking if someone agrees with something said, or to ask if one's transmission was received. ("That was a nasty wreck. Four-ten?")
"5 by 5"
5 by 5 indicates that you can hear another CB broadcaster perfectly. An exceptionally clear/strong transmission is described as "wall-to-wall and treetop tall".
"10-4"
Affirmative. Can also be used to denote agreement ("That's a big 10-4.")
"10-6"
Busy, Stand By [3]
"10-7"
Out of commission.
"10-9"
Repeat. Usually used to ask for a repeat.
"10-10"
CB operator will stop broadcasting, but will continue to listen ("I'm 10-10 on the side.")
"10-20" (more often simply "20")
Denotes location, as in identifying one's location ("My 20 is on Main Street and First"), asking the receiver what their current location or destination is ("What's your 20?"), or inquiring about the location of a third person ("Ok, people, I need a 20 on Little Timmy and fast").
"10-33"
An emergency situation ("You got a 10-33 at yardstick 136, they got 4-wheelers all piled up"). Also used for radio checks, as C.W. McCall noted in "Round the World with Rubber Duck": "'Break 1-9 for a 10-33,' what we got was the cotton-pickin' BBC."
"10-36"
The correct time ("Can I get a 10-36?")
"10-51"
"I'm headed your way." ("I'm 51 to you.")
"10-100" (polite)
Taking a bathroom break, especially on the side of the road. Referencing the use of showing one finger to denote the need to urinate.
"10-200"
Taking a bathroom break, especially on the side of the road. Referencing the use of showing two fingers to denote the need to have a bowel movement.
"10 In The Wind"
Listening to the CB while driving. Also known as "10-10 in the wind".
"99"
The final stop or destination of a load.
"Affirmative"
Yes.[4]
"Bear Bait"
An erratic or speeding driver.[5]
"Break / Breaker"
Telling other CB users that you'd like to start a transmission on a channel. May be succeeded by either the channel number, indicating that anyone may acknowledge (e.g. "Breaker One-nine" refers to channel 19, the most widely used among truck drivers), or by a specific "handle", which is requesting a particular individual to respond.[4]
"Choke-and-puke"
a truck stop restaurant with questionable food quality
"Cotton-pickin'"
a polite way of showing disgust
"Double-Nickel"
Refers to a speed limit of 55 mph.
"Fingerprint"
To "Fingerprint" your load would indicate that you will have to load or unload the cargo yourself.
"Good Buddy"
In the 1970s, this was the stereotypical term for a friend or acquaintance on a CB radio.[4]
"Good Numbers / 3s and 8s"
used to wish a fellow traveler good luck.
"Handle"
The nickname a CB user uses in CB transmissions. Other CB users will refer to the user by this nickname. To say "What's your handle?" is to ask another user for their CB nickname.[4]
"Jabber / Jabbering Idiot / Babble / Babbling Idiot"
Someone using foreign language on the CB. Note that US law does not forbid other languages on the radio.[6]
"Kojak with a Kodak"
Law enforcement with a radar gun.
"Suicide Jockey"
A driver who is hauling dangerous goods such as explosives.
"Sandbagging"
Not participating in conversation but listening only, despite having the capability of speaking. This is not the same as listening in using a simple receiver, as the person doing this activity can transmit using the two-way radio, but chooses not to.[7][8] It is done to monitor people for entertainment or for gathering information about the actions of others. Often, CBer's will sandbag to listen to others' responses to their previous input to a conversation, sometimes referred to a "reading the mail."[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Richard David Ramsey (5 Mar 2004), "The People Versus Smokey Bear: Metaphor, Argot, and CB Radio", The Journal of Popular Culture XIII (2): 338–344
  2. ↑ S Aléong, M Chrétien (1981), "Can Smokey the Bear Speak French? Adapting CB Lingo in Canadian French", American Speech, JSTOR 455122
  3. ↑ CB Ten Codes
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Howard Jackson, Etienne Zé Amvela, "CB talk", Words, meaning and vocabulary: an introduction to modern English lexicology
  5. ↑ cbslang.com - CB Slang Dictonary
  6. ↑ FCC rules regarding CB radio
  7. ↑ 'The Truckers Place' Truckers Slang
  8. ↑ ACBRO Team Inc 1980 - Advocates For Australian CB Radio Clubs And Operators
  9. ↑ Getting Familiar With CB Codes, Phrases, and Terminology

External links