# Is "bub" an insult? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461 "2008-10-31T17:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/1 "2008-10-31T17:23:53Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=490458), is “bub” an insult? On a scale on 0-10, with 10 being the worst. I’m wondering if this is a regional thing, so post your region, also. I think it’s about a 1 or a 2. Slightly rude. I’m in southeast Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/2 "2008-10-31T17:26:33Z")
I don’t think so. Isn’t it an antiquated way of saying “dude”? Well, I’m currently in Charlotte, NC area, but I’ve relocated from southwest Ohio and I grew up on the west coast. ETA again: I’m nearly 40 years old if that makes any difference. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/3 "2008-10-31T17:27:02Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I don’t think so. Isn’t it an antiquated way of saying “dude”? Where are you from? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/4 "2008-10-31T17:29:36Z")
I call one of my best friends “bubba.” I think it’s like “chief,” or “pal,” or “bro.” It’s how you say it and mean it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/5 "2008-10-31T17:36:21Z")
It’s not an insult, but it can be sort of confrontational. New England. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/6 "2008-10-31T17:40:44Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Where are you from? Sorry about that. I glossed over the “post your region” part. :smack: I’ve corrected my error. Although, IMHO it might be less a region thing and might be more of an age, thing.\* OOOORRR maybe even, as in the case of the original Pit thread, a testosterone thing. 😉 \*You know, in the way younger people tend to use less formalities than older folk. Am I just offending everyone with this post? :o ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/7 "2008-10-31T17:47:34Z")
To/from someone you know, not an insult. To/from a total stranger, problematic. As used in the linked thread, as part of “you’re doing something wrong”, mildly insulting. New England. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/8 "2008-10-31T17:51:55Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I call one of my best friends “bubba.” > > I think it’s like “chief,” or “pal,” or “bro.” It’s how you say it and mean it. [When someone calls you “pal” and you aren’t pals, fuck that! (start at about 1:50)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNfi7dLLiX4) ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/9 "2008-10-31T17:52:25Z")
It strikes me as a term of familiarity or camaraderie on the order of “Dude,” “Bro,” “Man,” and so forth. Many people consider excessive familiarity, or any familiarity from a stranger, to be rude. If a friend or family member addressed me as “bub,” I’d smile and ask them not to call me that. If a stranger addressed me as “bub” I’d ignore him/her, glare, or say, “I beg your pardon?” as appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/10 "2008-10-31T17:55:30Z")
It entirely depends on the context and intonation, and perhaps the location of the speaker. “Sir” and “ma’am” are not insults in the American south–often hthey are practicaly de rigeur–but I understand they are considered rude and dismissive in the North. Yankees are strange. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/11 "2008-10-31T17:58:11Z")
It’s a put-down, a sign of no respect, the anti-sir. On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 2. I’m from Southern California, and I would consider “dude,” “buddy,” “chief” or “bro” neutral terms. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually heard anyone call anyone else “pal” outside of movies and TV. ETA: “Sir” is definitely not an insult, but like any word, it can be spoken in an insulting manner. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/12 "2008-10-31T18:02:22Z")
By itself, I think it’s meaningless. It depends on the context, what’s being said right before or after it to take on any significance. I’m in New Jersey. I was on a plane from Fairbanks, AK to Vancouver, BC about 14 years ago and some guy was demanding a Heineken from the male\* flight attendant . The FA insisted there wasn’t any Heineken on the plane; the guy insisted he saw one in the first class cabin when he boarded; the FA insisted that was impossible because the airline never stocked Heineken; back & forth. Finally the passenger demanded “we’ll you better find me one” and the FA replied “we’re on a plane, bub”, and walked away. He might as well have said, “we’re on a plane, you moronic douchebag”. In that context, it was an 8, maybe 8.5. \*His gender is only relevant in that it was a heated discussion between two guys; I think the FA’s rejoinder may have been interpreted differently from a woman. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/13 "2008-10-31T18:06:19Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > [When someone calls you “pal” and you aren’t pals, fuck that! (start at about 1:50)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNfi7dLLiX4) I was thinking of that exact bit, but couldn’t remember Dane Cook’s name. 😃 It’s so true, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/14 "2008-10-31T18:11:41Z")
I call my younger son Bub. It’s not an insult at all in our family, just a nickname, which he loves. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/15 "2008-10-31T18:11:51Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > It’s not an insult, but it can be sort of confrontational. > > New England. Ditto. Also New England. ---
**Author:** ![RMutt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@RMutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RMutt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/16 "2008-10-31T18:45:47Z")
It’s rude and confrontational in a small way. Can you imagine someone using it in a complimentary manner? In my mind you’d use “buddy” to take some edge off. I’m from the Pacific Northwest by way of upstate NY and New England. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/17 "2008-10-31T18:47:31Z")
> [@RMutt](#): > > It’s rude and confrontational in a small way. Can you imagine someone using it in a complimentary manner? Sure. My favorite teacher from college and I always greet one another by sayin “What’s the hububb, bub?” I’m sure his other students to the same. It means you’re in like flynn with Vin. ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/18 "2008-10-31T18:50:01Z")
It’s probably meant to be slightly condescending/slightly insulting, so I’ll give it a 1-2. If anybody actually called me that, I’d probably laugh at him. I’m in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/19 "2008-10-31T18:50:03Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Isn’t it an antiquated way of saying “dude”? In southern German - and I think also in Yiddish - it means “boy”. I have no idea whether that’s the origin of the English term but it could explain the different acceptability in different contexts. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461/20 "2008-10-31T18:51:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Sure. My favorite teacher from college and I always greet one another by sayin “What’s the hububb, bub?” I’m sure his other students to the same. It means you’re in like flynn with Vin. [Just don’t say it to a gremlin.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035861/quotes) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bub-an-insult/470461.md?page=2)