CB Slang

Sun Nov 6 20:11:45 UTC 2005

"FuzzBuster" is a brand name.

JL

"Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Mullins, Bill"
Subject: CB Slang
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In 1977, Donruss Chewing Gum issued a set of trading cards called "CB Convoy Code". The fronts had peel-off stickers with cartoons of various truckers and CB and trucking scenes. The backs had a "CB Dictionary," listing many slang CB terms. I don't have a full set of the cards, but here is most of the dictionary.

Ace -- An important CBer.
Advertising -- A marked police car that has its lights turned on.
Aggie Overdrive -- The neutral gear of a transmission.
Asphalt Pilot -- A truck driver.
Back Door -- Rear of vehicle.
Backstroke -- Return trip. (Also: boundaround, flip-flop, flipper, flopper, turn around.)
Bad Scene -- Crowded channel.
Barefoot -- CB Unit with no power booster.
Battery Acid -- Trucker's cup of coffee.
Beam -- Type of directional antenna. "I've got my beam on you now."
Bear -- Policeman.
Bear Cave -- Police station or post on highway.
Bear Trap -- Group of state police carw working the road, or a road block.
Bear in the Air -- Police aircraft.
Bears Taking Pictures -- Police using radar.
Bears, Wall to Wall -- Many police.
Beat the Bushes -- "Front door" (lead vehicle) looks for the police. See also "Shake the leaves."
Beaver -- A female.
Bed Bug Hauler -- Household goods moving van.
Black and White Fever -- Driving at reduced speed due to sighting police. (Also known as "Pig Panic.")
Bleeding -- Interference from a nearby CB channel. "A local (station) is bleeding all over you."
Blood Box -- Ambulance.
Blow the Doors Off -- Pass.
Blue Eyed Indian -- Navajo Freight Lines truck.
Blue Light Machine -- Trooper. (Usually referring to one with his lights on.)
Bob Tailing -- A semi-tractor traveling without the trailer.
Bodacious -- Good signal, clear transmission.
Bootlegger -- Unlicensed CBer.
Break -- Asking for a turn to talk. (Also: breaker, breakity-break, breakity-broke.)
Break One-Oh -- Also "Break 10" -- "I want to talk" (on Channel 10).
Brown Bottle -- Beer.
Bubble Machine -- Police light.
Bubble Trouble -- Tire problem.
Bulldog -- Mack trucks.
Bull Rack -- Livestock transport truck.
Camera -- Police radar unit.
Catch You on the Old Flip/Flop -- Catch you on the radio on a return trip.
Catch Car -- Chase car used by troopers when another car is using radar. (Also: Chaser.)
CB Babies -- Those who misuse their CB privileges. Violates other CBers.
Charlie -- The FCC. (Also known as "Big Daddy".)
Clean -- There are no signs of police in the area. "Clean and Green."
Collect Call -- Someone is calling for you, someone is breaking for your handle or call letters.
Colorado Coolaid -- Coors beer.
Come Again -- Repeat your transmission "Come again?"
Comic Books -- Truck-drivers' log sheets or log books.
Convoy -- Line of CB-equipped vehicles moving in a pack.
Copilot -- A truck driver's wife.
Copy -- Do you understand me? (Do you copy?) (Have you got my copy?)
County Mounty -- County sheriff or deputy sheriff car.
Country Cadillac -- A pickup truck. (Also: cowboy cadillac, in wester states.)

Double E -- Eyeball, did you eyeball anything? Did you see anything?
Double L -- Landline, or to make a phone call.
Drag Out -- To receive a transmission, to understand. (Also: pull out.)
Drop the Hammer -- Push down on the accelerator.
Dusting Your Britches -- Same as doubled up with you, walked on, (transmitted at same time.)
Ears -- Do you have any ears? Means: Do you have a CB or do you have your unit turned on?
Eatum-up -- Roadside restaurant.
Eights (eighty-eights) -- "Goodbye" (from amateur radio 88's meaning "love and kisses." "Threes and eights to you."
Evel Kneivel -- A motorcycle policeman.
Eyeball -- Fac-to-face meeting. "Can we get together for an eyeball."
Farmer Brown -- Rancher or farmer.
Feather Merchant -- Truckers hauling extra light loads.
Feed Bears -- Pay fine for speeding to highway patrols. "I can't afford to feed any bears."
Final -- Last transmission. "I'll turn it over to you for your final."
Fingers -- Channel hopping CBer.
Five-Five -- 55, the legal speed limit in most places.

Good Buddy -- Another CBer.
Good Numbers Upon You -- Referring to 73's and 88's.
Greenlight -- You have the okay to go ahead, there are no troopers on the road ahead.
Greenstamps -- Referring to money. (Troopers passing out tickets that include a fine.)
Hammer -- Accelerator.
Hammer Down -- Highballing; driving fast.
Handle -- Slang names often used by CBers instead of their call letters.
Hitch-Hiker -- A person without a CB who follows a CBer on the highway depending on the CBer to receive
reports of locations of police and adjust speed accordingly.
Home Base -- CBer's home town, also called Home 20.
Hot Box -- Brakes, tires or axle either smoking or afire on trucks.
Insider -- FCC license holder.
Invitation -- Speeding ticket.
Jimmie -- A GMC tractor. (Truck)
Keep Your Nose Between the Ditches and Smokey out of Your Britches -- Drive safely adn look out for
speed traps and speeding fines.
Keep the Greasy Side Down and the Shiny Side Up -- Drive safely.
Local Yokel -- A local policeman.
Looker -- Someone looking for a CBer going in the opposite direction (to get a traffic report).
Looking Choice -- The road is clear ahead (no police).
Man in Blue -- Policeman.
Meatwagon -- Ambulance.

Other Half -- Wife (usually) or husband.
Part Your Hair -- Look out ahead for radar (Picture taker).
Peanut Butter in Ears -- CBer who isn't listening, or fails to copy, fails to reply, or won't reply.
Pickemup Truck -- Pickup truck.
Picking Peas -- Trooper with radar ahead.
Picture Taker -- Trooper with radar ahead.
Pimple -- Light on top of police car.
Pit Stop -- Pulling off road for gas, etc.
Plain Wrapper -- Police in unmarked car.
Polar Bear -- A cold, mean, white Bear.
Polaroid -- Trooper with radar ahead.
Pounds -- Number of S-meter (S-3 is three pounds, etc.)
Pop Eye -- Vehicle with one light out.
Portable Stockyard -- Truck for hauling cattle.
Pour Coffee on You -- I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
Prescription -- FCC rules and regulations.
Prime Time -- Time spent with wife or girl friend.
Ptomaine Palace -- Bad place to eat.

Pushwater -- Fuel or gasoline.
Pusholine -- Fuel or gasoline.
Rake the Leaves -- Back door or last vehicle in string, bringing up the rear.
Ratchet Jaws -- Someone who talks continuously.
Reefer -- Refrigerator transport truck or refrigerated trailer.
Rent-A-Cop -- A private security car with night lights on top.
Ribbon -- Concrete ribbon, highway.
Rocking Chair -- When three or more CBers run together on highway the rocking chair is the one in the middle.
Roger (Roger Dodger) -- Affirmative; OK; Yes.
Roger Rollerskate -- Passenger car going more than 20 mph over the speed limit.
Roller Derby -- Bad wreck or accident.
Rollerskate -- Small car.
Rolling Pin -- Truck with wide load.
Rover -- A trooper on the move.
Saddle -- Same as "Rocking Chair."
Seat Covers -- Ladies legs while sitting in car. (Check the nice paire of seat covers.)
Shake the Leaves -- Act as lead vehicle to look for police. (Also "Beat the Bushes.")
Shake the Trees -- When two or more CBers are running together on the highway the "front door"
shakes the trees while the back door rakes the leaves.

Wallace Lane -- Middle Lane of a three-lane highway.
Warden -- Wife; FCC.
We Gone -- Stopping our sending; transmission ended.
Weight Watcher -- Man who weighs trucks.
Whip -- Long antenna.
Windjammer -- Long-winded CBer.
Wrapper -- Color; "Green wrapper" is a green car.
X-Ray Machine -- Radar unit.
XYL -- Wife. (Stands for ex-young lady.)
Yellow Canary -- Yellow Transit Freight Lines Truck.
Yelly Stone Bear -- Means patrolmen hungry to write tickets. Slow down and beware.

About the same time, Fleer Confections issued a similar set called CB Talk. They had no stickers, just cartoons on the front, and a (much smaller) dictionary on back. I've only got a few of those:

Bubble Trouble -- Tire problems
Cackle Crate -- Live poultry truck.
Flagwaver -- Road construction worker.
Folding Camera -- In car police radar device.
Fuzz Buster -- Radar alert device.

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