{"id":10359,"date":"2022-11-16T22:54:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10359"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:55:36","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:36","slug":"bell-ringer-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/bell-ringer-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Bell Ringer \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Would you like to describe someone who is so attractive that they turn heads, as another saying goes? A 'bell ringer'<\/strong> is a common informal term that can be used to refer to someone who is very attractive or beautiful.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The phrase 'bell ringer' <\/strong>is a less common English saying that can be used to refer to someone who is considered attractive or beautiful by the speaker.<\/u><\/p>\n

When someone is called a 'bell ringer'<\/strong>, it is a figurative reference to the cartoon-style bells that might be pictured when someone is surprised or astonished.<\/u><\/p>\n

The term 'bell ringer'<\/strong> can have other meanings, including the literal meaning which refers to someone who would ring a bell (for example, at a church).<\/u><\/p>\n

Literal use of the saying is less common on social media and in modern conversation,<\/u> although you will find references to the more literal use in older texts and modern use with context.<\/p>\n

The use of 'bell ringer' <\/strong>as a physical compliment might refer to someone of any sex or gender<\/u>, and is not specific.<\/p>\n

An equivalent, common phrase is to say that someone 'is a ten [on the attractiveness scale]'.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the phrase 'bell ringer' <\/strong>is used in the negative form, it can become an insult that implies someone is unattractive to the speaker.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it can be spelled as 'bell-ringer' <\/strong>as another valid use of the term.<\/p>\n

When something 'rings a bell' <\/strong>it recalls a thought or memory, which is not the same thing as to say that someone is a bell ringer.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cWait until you see what his mother looked like. Damn, she was a real bell ringer in the eighties, wasn't she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuasimodo was a literal bell ringer, but that's not what I meant when I called you a bell ringer on Facebook last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say what you want about that dress, but that man sure is a bell ringer no matter what the heck he's wearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat shirt makes you look like a real bell ringer, but you might want to change the jacket that makes you look like a bellend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

According to online language resources (including etymonline.com), the phrase 'bell ringer' is likely to have originally come from sports.<\/p>\n

The bell signals the start and end of a round in competitive boxing and some other sports, and a 'bell ringer' would literally have to ring a bell on the sidelines of the ring.<\/p>\n

While original use of the saying was literal, the figurative use became more common with time.<\/p>\n

Somewhere in the 90s to 2000s, 'bell ringer' started to become a slang phrase that referred to attractiveness. Social media use of the phrase in the 2010s is also common.<\/p>\n

The phrase is listed on the website Urban Dictionary from 2007.<\/p>\n

Phrases Similar to Bell Ringer<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • A ten<\/li>\n
  • A hot girl summer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Phrases Opposite to Bell Ringer<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Karen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • [He\/she\/they]'re a bell ringer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Ways People May Say Bell Ringer Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

        There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'bell ringer' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the use of the phrase in context.<\/p>\n

        Someone can be referred to as a 'bell ringer' for their attractiveness, but it might be confused (especially in translation) with the literal task of a 'bell ringer'.<\/p>\n

        Erroneously, the phrase is listed to mean a sexual act on Urban Dictionary.<\/p>\n

        The term can also be confused with the common expression 'to ring a bell', which means that something recalls a thought or memory.<\/p>\n

        Acceptable Ways to Phrase Bell Ringer<\/h2>\n

        There are several acceptable ways to use the phrase 'bell ringer' in conversation, including to say that someone is a 'bell ringer'.<\/p>\n

        The expression 'bell ringer' is used to mean that someone is attractive, usually as a reference to a third-party between two (or more) speakers.<\/p>\n

        Alternatively, the phrase can also be spelled as 'bell-ringer' for acceptable use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Would you like to describe someone who is so attractive that they turn heads, as another saying goes? A 'bell ringer' is a common informal term that can be used to refer to someone who is very attractive or beautiful. Meaning The phrase 'bell ringer' is a less common English saying that can be used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10359"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10359"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10361,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10359\/revisions\/10361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}