show approval or good wishes by shouting; "everybody cheered the birthday boy"
a cry or shout of approval
become cheerful (同)cheer up, chirk up
cause (somebody) to feel happier or more cheerful; "She tried to cheer up the disappointed child when he failed to win the spelling bee" (同)cheer up, jolly along, jolly up
spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts; "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers" (同)root on, inspire, urge, barrack, urge on, exhort, pep up
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators; "its all over but the shouting" (同)shouting
"Bronx Cheer" redirects here. For the Law & Order episode, see Bronx Cheer (Law & Order).
A man blowing a raspberry
Blowing a raspberry, strawberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise signifying derision, real or feigned. It is made by placing the tongue between the lips and blowing to produce a sound similar to 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 (e.g., to be used as a building block of words), but the sound is widely used across human cultures.
The nomenclature varies by country. In the United States, "Bronx cheer" very common; otherwise, in the U.S. 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 was first recorded in 1890.[2]
In Internet English shorthand and on forums and blogs, the transcription "pbbbt" has come to be used to mean blowing a raspberry.
Contents
1Etymology
2See also
3References
4External links
Etymology
Blowing a raspberry comes from the Cockney rhyming slang "raspberry tart" for 'fart'.[3] Rhyming slang was particularly used in British comedy to refer to things which would be unacceptable to a polite audience.
The term "Bronx cheer" is used sarcastically because it is not a cheer; it is used to show disapproval. The term originated as a reference to the sound made by some spectators in Yankee Stadium, located in the Bronx, New York City, New York.[4][5]
See also
Bilabial trill
Joe Btfsplk
Golden Raspberry Awards
Linguistic universal
The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town
References
^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.
^"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.