# "wife beaters!" I nearly laughed my fanny off! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229 "2004-01-26T23:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/1 "2004-01-26T23:43:44Z")
I was with my teen-aged daughter and one of her girl friends the other day and I heard my daughter say something about “wife beaters.” When I asked what she meant, she informed me that the term refers to those white sleeveless tee shirts like Marlon Brando wore in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” I had never heard this before and I was crackin’ up! My daughter, of course, voiced her opinion that I was (1) a loony old geezer, and (2) was so out of touch that I don’t have a clue. So, what are the slang terms that your teen children / friends / relatives use that you don’t understand? ---
**Author:** ![Creative\_Munster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Creative\_Munster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creative_Munster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/2 "2004-01-27T01:46:18Z")
I’m 31 years old and have used the term “wife beaters” to refer to those t-shirts for as long as I can remember. It isn’t new by any means. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/3 "2004-01-27T01:58:52Z")
So, um, like…yeah. Whatever. :rolleyes: Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/4 "2004-01-27T13:56:55Z")
We called 'em Dago Tees when we were kids. My kid turned me on to the wife beater thing a few years ago. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/5 "2004-01-27T14:16:12Z")
I’ve heard them called wife-beaters for a while now. But what cracks me up about my teenage son is that he calls _everybody_ “dude.” Guys, girls, even me! It’s hilarious! He isn’t alone though, all his friends say it too. Strange. It reminds me of the old surfer talk, it’s all in the inflection. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/6 "2004-01-27T14:16:45Z")
I’ve been using the term “wife-beater” to refer to those shirts for I don’t know how long. At least 10 years… ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/7 "2004-01-27T18:03:31Z")
“wide beater” _also_ (here, at any rate) can mean “cheap cider, or other beer typically drunken by ‘white-trash’ wife-beater-wearing wife-beating types.” Not that anyone I know knows anyone like that. I’ve always thought it a bit odd. I mean, I’m up for offensive terminology if it’s historical, or funny, or making a point, but this just seems gratuitous somehow. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-beaters-i-nearly-laughed-my-fanny-off/226229/8 "2004-01-27T18:29:02Z")
> [@Dolores Reborn](#): > > I’ve heard them called wife-beaters for a while now. But what cracks me up about my teenage son is that he calls _everybody_ “dude.” Guys, girls, even me! It’s hilarious! He isn’t alone though, all his friends say it too. Strange. It reminds me of the old surfer talk, it’s all in the inflection. In a similar vein, “you guys” is often used to indicate a group of people, even if they are mixed gender or even all female.