Are you visiting NYC? Did someone sneer at you when you greeted them on the street? You could say they embrace the 'Bronx cheer' of the neighborhood. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The expression 'Bronx cheer' refers to a sound created by others when greeting them. Typically, the person you greet will return a grunt or another negative response to bring your emotional state down. Bronx cheer is a sign of disrespect to others, similar to cat-calling and jeering.
It's not unique to the Bronx and appears in all boroughs of NYC, as well as major cities across the globe. If you greet a random person on the street and they reply with 'Bronx cheer,' they're doing so to make you feel uncomfortable and foolish. People that reply to greetings with Bronx cheer are typically nasty individuals with a negative outlook on life.
Example Usage
"This town is terrible" I can feel that Bronx cheer coming off the residents. One of them almost spat in my face when I asked the time. Let's get out of here."
"Ah, there's nothing like getting home to that Bronx cheer in the neighborhood. I'm glad I live where everyone hates each other, and nobody has anything to say to people on the street.'
"That's Bronx cheer right there. The people in this town have no respect for each other. Don't expect anyone to do anything for you. They don't care about your life."
"The sense of community in this city is appalling. Everyone is so mean, and no one smiles. Everyone has the Bronx cheer about them, and they don't care about others."
"That's real Bronx cheer. That lady swore at me and told me to get out of her way. All I did was say good morning to her."
"I'm tired of living in NYC. The Bronx cheer gets me down, especially in the wintertime. Let's move to Florida, where the weather is warm, and the people are friendly."
Origin
The expression 'Bronx cheer' originates from the United States in the early 1900s. The Bronx is a borough of New York City, founded and named after the British settler James Bronx in the 1800s. The first use of the term in its context of explaining the attitude of people living in the Bronx is in the 1920s.
The 'Bridgeport Telegram,' a daily newspaper, published the term in an article discussing a football game between New York and Chicago. The phrase appears as follows in October 1921
"If Chicago loses, the east will grin and give western football the jolly old Bronx cheer."
The phrase would also appear in the Daily Mail in 1924, referring to the attitude of people living in the Bronx.
Phrases Similar to Bronx Cheer
- Heckle.
- Razzing.
- Raspberry.
Phrases Opposite to Bronx Cheer
- Happy people.
- Friendly.
- Accommodating.
What is the Correct Saying?
- Bronx cheer.
Ways People May Say Bronx Cheer Incorrectly
The phrase ‘Bronx cheer’ doesn’t always refer to the ‘Bronx’ borough in NYC. It refers to the type of people inhabiting a city or town. If they display rudeness or uncouth behavior to strangers instead of a sense of community and respect, it’s ‘Bronx cheer.’
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Bronx Cheer
You can use the term ‘Bronx cheer’ when referring to a city where people display rude behavior to others. It doesn’t have to apply to the Bronx district in New York City. It applies to any city or town across the United States where people are highly offensive and rude to strangers. The phrase suits social and professional conversations.
For instance, if you have a customer in your business, you could tell your colleague the customer has ‘Bronx cheer’ to describe their poor treatment of you and your staff. Or you could use ‘Bronx cheer’ to describe someone that sneers at you when you greet them on the street. You can use the expression in text-based communications and verbal exchanges.