Square (slang)
Encyclopedia
Square used as slang may mean many things when referring to a person or in common language.
In referring to a person, the word originally meant someone who was honest, traditional and loyal. An agreement that is equitable on all sides is a "square deal". The evolution of American culture transformed the term from a compliment to an insult to an obsolete term.
, a square was a person who failed to appreciate the medium, more broadly someone who was out of date or out of touch, hence the saying "be there or be square". In the counterculture
movements that started in the 1940s and took momentum in the 1960s a "square" referred to someone who clung to repressive, traditional, stereotypical, one-sided, or "in the box
" ways of thinking. The term was used by hipster
s in the 1940s, beatnik
s in the 1950s, hippie
s in the 1960s, yippies in the 1970s, and other individuals who took part in the movements which emerged to contest the more conservative
national, political, religious, philosophical, musical and social trends. It comes from the square representing a four-beat rhythm as shown by a conductor's hands. It was in this context that Sly and the Family Stone's trumpet player Cynthia Robinson
yelled out in the hit "Dance to the Music
": "All the squares go home!" If the counterculture was a shift from conservatism to liberalism, then square was what liberal people called conservative people and things. While the term waned in popularity by the 1980s, it remained in the public consciousness, particularly of the American baby boom generation, enough that its broad meaning (of a person who respects traditional principles) is exemplified in Huey Lewis
's 1986 hit Hip To Be Square
.
The term found its way into various parts of popular culture. Perhaps the most obvious recurring reference today would be this line from "Jailhouse Rock
", a song most famously sung by Elvis Presley
:
One of the earliest records with the usage of the term can be found in the 1946 recording by Harry Gibson
"What's his Story?," which includes the stanza:
Or an earlier song by the same artist, from 1944, called "Stop That Dancing Up There," which includes:
The term "square" is also used as a joint-definition of people that are mentally challenged and asocial.
.
The term was used in the American Cub Scout
Promise until 1971.
The chorus of the George M. Cohan
song "Mary's a Grand Old Name" concludes with these lines:
Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs included this line in their biggest hit "Wooly Bully
":
Wings
used this slang in an anti-drug reference in the song "C Moon
":
The Sandlot
's Squints used this line to describe Smalls:
Obie Trice
in Adrenaline Rush:
In referring to a person, the word originally meant someone who was honest, traditional and loyal. An agreement that is equitable on all sides is a "square deal". The evolution of American culture transformed the term from a compliment to an insult to an obsolete term.
Negative connotations
In the parlance of jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, a square was a person who failed to appreciate the medium, more broadly someone who was out of date or out of touch, hence the saying "be there or be square". In the counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
movements that started in the 1940s and took momentum in the 1960s a "square" referred to someone who clung to repressive, traditional, stereotypical, one-sided, or "in the box
Thinking outside the box
Thinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking....
" ways of thinking. The term was used by hipster
Hipster (1940s subculture)
Hipster, as used in the 1940s, referred to aficionados of jazz, in particular bebop, which became popular in the early 1940s. The hipster adopted the lifestyle of the jazz musician, including some or all of the following: dress, slang, use of cannabis and other drugs, relaxed attitude, sarcastic...
s in the 1940s, beatnik
Beatnik
Beatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
s in the 1950s, hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s in the 1960s, yippies in the 1970s, and other individuals who took part in the movements which emerged to contest the more conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
national, political, religious, philosophical, musical and social trends. It comes from the square representing a four-beat rhythm as shown by a conductor's hands. It was in this context that Sly and the Family Stone's trumpet player Cynthia Robinson
Cynthia Robinson
Cynthia Robinson is an American musician, best known for being the trumpeter and vocalist in the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone...
yelled out in the hit "Dance to the Music
Dance to the Music (song)
"Dance to the Music" is a 1968 hit single by the influential soul/funk/rock band Sly & the Family Stone for the Epic/CBS Records label. It was the first single by the band to reach the Billboard Pop Singles Top 10, peaking at #8 and the first to popularize the band's sound, which would be emulated...
": "All the squares go home!" If the counterculture was a shift from conservatism to liberalism, then square was what liberal people called conservative people and things. While the term waned in popularity by the 1980s, it remained in the public consciousness, particularly of the American baby boom generation, enough that its broad meaning (of a person who respects traditional principles) is exemplified in Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor.Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs...
's 1986 hit Hip To Be Square
Hip to Be Square
"Hip to Be Square" is a song by Huey Lewis and the News, written by Bill Gibson, Sean Hopper, and Huey Lewis, and released in 1986 as the second single from the multi-platinum album, Fore!. The song features Pro Football Hall of Famers and then-San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott...
.
The term found its way into various parts of popular culture. Perhaps the most obvious recurring reference today would be this line from "Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (song)
"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock...
", a song most famously sung by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
:
- The warden said hey buddy don't you be no square
- If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair
One of the earliest records with the usage of the term can be found in the 1946 recording by Harry Gibson
Harry Gibson
Harry "The Hipster" Gibson was a jazz pianist, singer and songwriter.Gibson played New York style Stride piano and boogie woogie while singing in a wild, unrestrained style. His music career began in the late 1920s, when as the young Harry Raab, his birth name, he played stride piano in Dixieland...
"What's his Story?," which includes the stanza:
- At the gate stands a sinning fool
- Shouting "Lordy Lordy" dinosuar
- Saint Peter said "You square,
- Your place is way down there"
- And the square said, "What's his story?"
Or an earlier song by the same artist, from 1944, called "Stop That Dancing Up There," which includes:
- The people downstairs
- Say I'm an awful square
- When I shout, "Stop that dancing up there."
The term "square" is also used as a joint-definition of people that are mentally challenged and asocial.
Positive connotations
Square can mean good and honest, a sense preserved in the phrases "fair and square", "a square deal"; or upstanding, as in "squaring up" (to an antagonist). As a symbol of rectitude, the square, or set-square, is one of the principal allegorical symbols in FreemasonryFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.
The term was used in the American Cub Scout
Cub Scouts (Boy Scouts of America)
Cub Scouting is part of the Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America , available to boys from first through fifth-grade, or 7 to 11½ years of age and their families. Its membership is the largest of the three BSA Scouting Divisions...
Promise until 1971.
The chorus of the George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
song "Mary's a Grand Old Name" concludes with these lines:
- And there is something there / That sounds so square / It's a grand old name.
L7
L7 is also a derivative term for square. This derives from a gesture in which the square shape is made by putting together an "L" made with the left thumb and index finger and a "7" made with the right thumb and index finger.Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs included this line in their biggest hit "Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully
"Wooly Bully" is a popular song originally recorded by novelty rock 'n' roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1965. Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, it was written by the band's leader, Domingo "Sam" Samudio. It was released as a single on the Memphis-based Pen label and...
":
- Let’s not be L7, come and learn to dance.
Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
used this slang in an anti-drug reference in the song "C Moon
C Moon
"C Moon" is a reggae song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side with "Hi, Hi, Hi" in 1972. With the ban of "Hi Hi Hi" in the United Kingdom, "C Moon" became a top five hit....
":
- It will be L7 and I'd never get to heaven
If I filled my head with glue
The Sandlot
The Sandlot
The Sandlot is a 1993 American comedy-drama sports film about a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. The film was filmed in Utah and directed by David M. Evans...
's Squints used this line to describe Smalls:
- Come on, Benny. Man. The kid is a... L7 weenie!
Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
in Adrenaline Rush:
- "You L7 like a square be" (sic)
See also
- Wiktionary entry for "square"
- Hip (slang)Hip (slang)Hip is a slang term meaning fashionably current and in the know. Hip is the opposite of square or prude.Hip, like cool, does not refer to one specific quality. What is considered hip is continuously changing. The term hip is said to have originated in African American Vernacular English in the...
- The ManThe Man"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise....
- The EstablishmentThe EstablishmentThe Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
- L7L7 (band)L7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles, that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...