# What does 'Two/Three Buck Chuck' mean to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992 "2014-12-01T01:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/1 "2014-12-01T01:33:24Z")
I saw a thread today discussing Whole Foods, and a line of cheap wine nicknamed ‘_three buck chuck_’. I was very surprised to realise this name was not meant in a derogatory sense. 😕 I couldn’t figure how this could be, until I saw a later post that it came from a specific brand name, Charles Shaw, so I see where the Chuck comes from. However, the reason for my confusion is that in Australia (but apparently not in the States), Chuck is a colloquialism for vomit. If an Australian tells you he has some two buck chuck, I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, because it is going to be the cheapest wine that will get you drunk and more than likely make you spew. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/2 "2014-12-01T01:37:30Z")
Two Buck Chuck was a type of wine introduced by Trader Joe’s. It’s from Charles Shaw winery. Chuck is a nickname for Charles in the US and probably Oz too. I am not a wine drinker but it’s supposedly very good for the price. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/3 "2014-12-01T01:41:13Z")
Very cheap, but not really bad, wine, and it used to be Two Buck Chuck. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/4 "2014-12-01T01:41:24Z")
Charles Shaw wine from Trader Joe’s. It was (is?) $2.99 in California, where it earned the name “Two Buck Chuck”, but here it’s $3.99, thanks to a further distance and more alcohol taxes to be paid from winery to wine shelf. “Chuck” isn’t a common word here (Chicago, US) for vomit. “Upchuck,” perhaps, but it’s the kind of word your grandmother would use to be polite. Most of us would use “throw up”, “hurl,” or even “heave” if we’re using slang. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/5 "2014-12-01T01:41:54Z")
One Buck Chuck is cheap wine you can buy at Trader Joe’s. Well, it used to be a dollar but it hasn’t been for a while. [Prices just keep rising. . .](http://i0.huffpost.com/gen/811644/thumbs/r-WINE-THEFT-TWO-BUCK-CHUCK-large570.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/6 "2014-12-01T01:42:13Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > However, the reason for my confusion is that in Australia (but apparently not in the States), Chuck is a colloquialism for vomit. In America, Chuck is a not-uncommon nickname for Charles (e.g. animator Chuck Jones, rock & roller Chuck Berry). It’s also a slang word for “toss” or “throw” (often but not always meaning “toss out” or “throw away”: “That milk’s past its expiration date—better chuck it.”) **Upchuck** , however, is a fairly common colloquialism for vomit. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/7 "2014-12-01T01:45:27Z")
Covered here already, but: cheap wine from Trader Joe’s. Good for cooking, surprisingly decent for drinking. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/8 "2014-12-01T02:17:42Z")
Two Buck Chuck is that gay prostitute giving H-J’s out back of _Tacos, Tacos, Tacos_. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/9 "2014-12-01T02:18:57Z")
Here in California at least it has been generalized to cover all sorts of inexpensive but decent wines. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/10 "2014-12-01T02:24:21Z")
When someone is describing Two Buck Chuck to an Aussie as being acceptable, the Aussie should take this comment in the same spirit as someone saying “Fosters is surprisingly drinkable.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/11 "2014-12-01T02:24:24Z")
Native Southern Californian (now living in the PNW) who has been shopping at Trader Joe’s since 1987. Two Buck Chuck is a decent-tasting table wine that used to cost $1.99. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/12 "2014-12-01T06:09:13Z")
My mom and dad live off that stuff for decades now. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/13 "2014-12-01T13:31:00Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > I saw a thread today discussing Whole Foods, and a line of cheap wine nicknamed ‘_three buck chuck_’. I was very surprised to realise this name was not meant in a derogatory sense. 😕 I couldn’t figure how this could be, until I saw a later post that it came from a specific brand name, Charles Shaw, so I see where the Chuck comes from. > > However, the reason for my confusion is that in Australia (but apparently not in the States), Chuck is a colloquialism for vomit. If an Australian tells you he has some two buck chuck, I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, because it is going to be the cheapest wine that will get you drunk and more than likely make you spew. ☹ I’m the guy who brought up Charles Shaw in the Whole Foods thread, so I’d like to comment. The question has been pretty much answered already. I’m sure that they called it “Two Buck Chuck” for the familiarity and the rhyming, although, with inflation, it’s apparently Three Buck Chuck now, everywhere. as noted, “chuck” by itself doesn’t mean “vomit” in the US. It’s often used to mean “throw” (“Chuck it in the bin”. “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck…”). So it’s not surprising that Americans use “upchuck” for “throw up”. But not “chuck” In fact, over-awareness of “chuck” = “vomit” would make a lot of differences in American speech. Who’d want to eat from a _Chuck Wagon_ if it meant “vomit wagon”. We probably wouldn’t have a dog food called “Chuck Wagon” if that were the case. “Pumpkin Chunkin’” (which only gets that extra “n” from the rhyme) would have an entirely different meaning, and so wouldn’t be used. We might not have “chuck keys” to lock our drill bits in place. Come to think of it. what nickname do Aussies use for _Charles_? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/14 "2014-12-01T13:49:48Z")
A friend of mine cooks with it all the time. She’d sooner starve than drink the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/15 "2014-12-01T13:50:11Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > In fact, over-awareness of “chuck” = “vomit” would make a lot of differences in American speech. Who’d want to eat from a _Chuck Wagon_ if it meant “vomit wagon”. We probably wouldn’t have a dog food called “Chuck Wagon” if that were the case. Not to mention, you can go to an American grocery store and buy ground [chuck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_steak) to feed your family. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/16 "2014-12-01T14:06:09Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > A friend of mine cooks with it all the time. She’d sooner starve than drink the stuff. The white is a decent inexpensive table wine. If you’re looking for a passable wine to serve cold and in volume you’re unlikely to do much better at twice the price. The red is very basic, but certainly not the worst you can find. Paying 200% more will get you a better wine, but not everyone has the money or cares about the difference in taste. This isn’t ripple, it’s just basic wine produced in volume at low cost. There’s nothing complex about it, nor is there anything really wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/17 "2014-12-01T15:03:22Z")
_You don’t understand. Chuck is my dog!_ Wait, that doesn’t work. Anyway, yeah, cheap wine from Trader Joe’s. I thought, originally at least, it was decent wine that they had too much of, maybe because of a bountiful grape harvest. (Well, for some value of “decent” anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/18 "2014-12-01T15:22:10Z")
I thought _chunder_ was Australian for vomit. How many words do you need? JK, it’s vomit, the funniest of all human effluvia (assuming it’s coming out of a drunk frat boy, not, for example, yourself). There can’t be too many words for it. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/19 "2014-12-01T15:42:12Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > “Chuck” isn’t a common word here (Chicago, US) for vomit. “Upchuck,” perhaps, but it’s the kind of word your grandmother would use to be polite. Most of us would use “throw up”, “hurl,” or even “heave” if we’re using slang. Your grandmother maybe. Upchuck is reminiscent to me of slightly dated juvenile slang. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992/20 "2014-12-01T17:36:23Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Your grandmother maybe. Upchuck is reminiscent to me of slightly dated juvenile slang. To me as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-two-three-buck-chuck-mean-to-you/705992.md?page=2)