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

The slang itself is not only cyclical, but also geographical. Through time, certain terms are added or dropped as attitudes toward it change. For example, in the early days of the CB radio, the term "Good Buddy" was widely used.[2]

Nicknames given or adopted by CB radio users are known as 'Handles'.[2][3] Although this practice is all but dead, many truck drivers will call each other 'Hand',[4] or by the name of the company they are driving for.[citation needed]

CB and its distinctive language started in the United States but was then exported to other countries including Mexico, Germany and Canada.

Popular terms [ edit ]

Law enforcement officers and their equipment [ edit ]

Trucks and other non-police vehicles [ edit ]

Term Description Aircraft carrier Tractor/trailer carrying a disassembled aircraft, helicopter or a small plane. Angry kangaroo A truck with one (or both) of its headlights out. Blinkin winkin/Kiddie car School bus. Bulldog A Mack road tractor, noted for its trademark bulldog hood ornament. Bullfrog An ABF truck. Bobtail rig Road tractor driving without a trailer. Buster Brown UPS truck. Cab-over A typically older truck where the cab sits directly over the engine. Cash box An armored car. Corn flake A Consolidated Freightways truck. Cornbinder/Thirteen Letter Shit Spreader A Navistar International truck. Dung Beetle A Volkswagen Beetle with a male driver. Freightshaker A Freightliner truck. Four Wheeler/Four-wheeler Any vehicle with only four wheels. Most often used for personal cars/vans/SUVs. Jimmy A GMC road tractor. K-Whopper A Kenworth road tractor. Louisville A Ford L-Series truck. Meat Wagon An ambulance. Pete/Peter Car A Peterbilt road tractor. Piggy back A truck towing another truck. Portable parking lot/Rolling parking lot A tractor/trailer loaded with new or used cars. Pregnant rollerskate A Volkswagen Beetle. Pumpkin/Pumpkin roller A Schneider National tractor/trailer. Reefer A refrigerated trailer or flatbed trailer hauling a refrigerated container. Rolling refinery A tanker truck, typically carrying fuel. Salt shaker Highway department salt truck. Scanny A Scania truck. There are around 500 in the United States[ clarification needed ]. It is very rare, so it is used only in social media (truck pages in Facebook, YouTube, etc.). Skateboard A straight, flatbed trailer. Thermos Bottle A road tractor with a chemical trailer. Turkey hearse A truck with a load of turkeys headed for slaughter. Wiggle Wagon A road tractor with more than one trailer. Yard dog, yard goat, or mule Terminal tractor used to move trailers in a shipping/freight yard.

Destinations [ edit ]

Other popular terms [ edit ]

Term Meaning 4-10 A reversal of the ten code "10-4," when asking if someone agrees with something said or if one's transmission was received. ("That was a nasty wreck. Four-ten?") 5 by 5 Indicates that another CB user can be heard clearly (see "Wall to wall and treetop tall" below). 10-4 Acknowledged; can also be used to denote or emphasize an agreement ("That's a big 10-4."). 10-6 Busy; stand by.[5] 10-7 Signing off. 10-8 En route. ("I'm 10-8 to your location.") 10-9 Last transmission not received; repeat your last transmission. 10-10 CB user will cease broadcasting but will continue to listen. ("I'm 10-10 on the side.") 10-20 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 Emergency traffic, clear the channel. 3s and 8s Well wishes to a fellow driver. 10-36 Correct time ("Can I get a 10-36?") 10 in the wind Listening to the CB while driving (also known as "10-10 in the wind"). 10-100 Restroom break. Affirmative Yes.[6] Back door The rear of a vehicle. Back row An area of a truck stop, generally located in the back of the property, where prostitutes congregate. Bear bait An erratic or speeding driver.[7] Boop Boop/Cluck Cluck Chicken Truck Ways chicken haulers greet each other Break/Breaker Informing other CB users that you would like to start a transmission on a channel. May be followed by either the channel number, indicating that anyone may acknowledge (e.g. "Breaker One-niner" refers to channel 19, the most widely used among truck drivers), or by a specific "handle", which is requesting a particular individual to respond.[6] Bucket mouth/Linear lungs Someone who will not shut up. CB Rambo A trucker who threatens to fight another trucker at the next truck stop. Choke and puke A truck stop restaurant, especially one known for its less-than-quality food. Comedian The median or central reservation of a highway. As in, "A bear taking pictures from the comedian." Copy that/Copy Acknowledgement "I heard you" or "I understand." Cotton-pickin' Substitution for foul language (now widely used among the general public). Crotch rocket A very fast motorcycle. Do a flip Turn around and go the opposite direction. As in, "That county mountie did a flip when the bear bait went by in the hammer lane." Double-nickels A 55 mph speed zone. Four/Foe Refers to 10-4, dropping the 10; also "Yeah, Four," "Foe," or "Yeah, foe" (slang for "four"). Flag in five-mile wind A 45-mph speed zone. Gator A large piece of tire left on the road after a blow out. #handle, Got your ears on? / Anybody/Anyone got their ears on? Asking if a specific person is listening to a given channel / Asking if anyone is listening to a given channel[8] Green stamp(s) Cash money (refers to S&H Green Stamps). When used in the singular form, can also refer to a toll road, such as the New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania Turnpikes which are all denoted by green route markers Go-go juice "I need to get some fuel." Groceries Goods being hauled. Hot mic A CB user monopolizes a radio channel. Turtle race Two trucks side by side, one trying to pass the other; but both have speed-governors. Fingerprint To self-unload a trailer. Three Sisters Three large hills on I-80E between Salt Lake City, Utah and Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Good buddy In the 1970s, this was the stereotypical term for a friend or acquaintance on the CB airwaves.[1][2][6] Good numbers Well wishes to a fellow driver. 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.[6] Hammer Gas pedal/ accelerator. Hundred-mile coffee Very strong coffee. Jabber/Jabbering idiot/Babble/Babbling idiot A CB user transmitting in a foreign language. Keep the left door closed Make time by not stopping. Lot lizard A prostitute in a rest area or who works the parking area of a truck stop. Pickle park A rest area known for prostitution. Rubbernecking/ Rubbernecks/ Rubberneckers Looking at something on the side of the road, causing a backup./ People slowing down to look at something, particularly an accident. Seat cover An attractive woman in a vehicle, especially one who is scantily-clad or wearing sexy clothing. Semi-pro Pickup truck drivers congregating with truckers. On one's donkey Following one too close; tailgating. ("You have a sports car 'on your donkey'.") Outdoor TV A drive-in theatre. Suicide jockey A driver who is hauling dangerous goods, such as explosives. Sandbagging Listening to CB conversation without participating, despite having the capability of speaking. This is not the same as listening in using a simple receiver, as the person sandbagging can transmit using the two-way radio, but chooses not to.[9][10] It is for the purpose of monitoring CB users for entertainment or for gathering information about the actions of a particular user. Often, CB users "sandbag" to listen to others' responses to their previous input to a conversation, sometimes referred to a "reading the mail."[11] Wall to wall and treetop tall An exceptionally clear, strong signal/transmission. Yardstick A mile marker or mile post Hammer Lane The passing lane or the "fast lane". Example: "Don't let smokey see you camping out in the hammer lane, good buddy"

See also [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ]