Bacon has taken on a variety of slang meanings over the years. While the word typically refers to the salty cured pork product, it has also been used to mean money, attractiveness, and more in informal contexts. Understanding the slang meanings of bacon can provide insight into popular culture and humor. This article will explore the varied slang definitions of bacon and provide examples of its usage in modern slang.
Money
One of the most common slang uses of bacon is to refer to money. This meaning grew in popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. Bringing home the bacon means earning money and being the breadwinner for a family.
Here are some examples of bacon being used to mean money:
– I need to bring home the bacon if I want to support my family.
– Now that I got a promotion, I’ll be raking in the bacon!
– Ever since she landed that lucrative contract, she’s been rolling in the bacon.
The connection between bacon and money refers to bacon being a lucrative, profitable commercial product. Swine farmers can make good money by selling cured and smoked bacon. The phrase bringing home the bacon conjures an image of returning from the marketplace after a profitable day selling one’s goods.
Attractiveness
Bacon has also been used in slang to refer to someone who is very attractive or sexually appealing. This meaning grew in popularity in the 2000s and 2010s.
Here are some examples of bacon being used to mean attractiveness:
– Look at him, he’s total bacon!
– She was sizzling bacon in that mini dress last night.
– Her new boyfriend is a serious slice of bacon.
The term bacon in this context refers to someone being tasty or delicious like the fatty, salty meat product. It’s often used by young people to describe someone they find extremely attractive in a lustful way. The act of eating delicious bacon is associated with pleasurable sensations, similar to admiring someone’s physical beauty.
Awesomeness
In a more general sense, bacon has come to mean awesomeness or excellent quality in slang usage. Anything exceptionally cool or impressive can be described as bacon.
Some examples include:
– That movie we just saw was epic bacon!
– The party last night was total bacon – you should’ve been there!
– His new car is pure bacon. I’m so jealous!
This meaning developed from bacon’s associations with tasty, indulgent pleasure. Anything that gives joy and satisfaction is colloquially called bacon because of the happy feelings associated with eating it.
Origin Theories
There are a few theories about how bacon came to take on these slang meanings:
- The popularity and desirability of bacon made it synonymous with pleasurable things in American culture. Bacon became a marker of something special.
- Bacon as a breakfast food is associated with starting the day off right. The good feelings associated with morning bacon translated into slang.
- Pigs and swine were lucrative livestock for farmers. Making money by selling cured pork products like bacon led to the “bringing home the bacon” connection.
- Bacon’s rich, indulgent qualities caused people to start associating it with sinful pleasures like lust and attraction.
Whichever theory is correct, it’s clear that bacon’s savory appeal led to positive associations that influenced slang over the past century.
History and Early Usage
Some of the earliest documented uses of bacon in a slang sense date from the 1920s and 1930s. This Great Depression era slang reflected struggles to earn money and put food on the table.
Here are some early examples of bacon slang:
- 1935: “I’ve got to hustle if I want to bring home the bacon.”
- 1927: “Ever since Jim landed a big promotion, they’ve been raking in the bacon over there.”
- 1931: “Don’t spend all your bacon in one place, son.”
During WWII in the 1940s, “bringing home the bacon” became a popular phrase for soldiers returning home from war who could go back to providing for their families.
The sexualized meaning of bacon emerged later on, perhaps in the 1980s or 1990s once bacon became a cultural obsession. Today it remains very common in casual slang usage.
Bacon Slang in Pop Culture
References to bacon slang frequently appear in movies, TV, music, and other pop culture domains. Here are a few fun examples:
- The song “Centerfield” by John Fogerty contains the lyric “We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field. A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man; Anyone can understand the way I feel.” Fogerty has said this references “bringing home the bacon.”
- A 2009 episode of the sitcom The Office was titled “The Chump,” referring to someone easily tricked or cheated. In a quote from the episode, Michael says, “I’m not going to be the chump anymore. I’m going to be the bacon.” Here bacon means the winner or dominant person.
- The comedy movie American Pie contains a scene where high school guys are admiring a female classmate. One refers to her as “grade A top choice meat.” His friend refers to her as “prime rib” which leads the first guy to change his classification to “prime rib that is grade A meat.” This references bacon’s use to mean a sexy, desirable person.
Modern memes also showcase bacon slang humorously. Overall, the use of bacon in pop culture emphasizes the positive, indulgent associations it carries in the mainstream.
Regional Differences
Bacon slang appears in various English-speaking countries, though some meanings are more common in certain regions:
| Meaning | Regions |
|---|---|
| Money | Mainly US, Canada |
| Attractiveness | Mostly US |
| Awesomeness | US, Canada, UK, Australia |
The sexualized meaning is especially pervasive in the US, where bacon has extreme cultural importance. Using bacon to mean money or professional success appears globally since it derives from the idea of making a profitable living selling pork.
Translation Challenges
Bacon slang poses some interesting translation challenges:
- Some languages don’t have an equivalent single-word term for bacon. The meaning may be lost.
- The concept of pigs as lucrative livestock doesn’t always translate. In parts of Asia, pigs have different symbolic meanings.
- In cultures that avoid pork for religious reasons, bacon may lack positive associations needed for slang meanings.
- Without context, foreign language speakers may assume bacon retains its literal meaning in confusing ways.
Translators have to find creative ways to convey the cultural and emotional nuances of bacon slang in other languages. Communicating the sly humor and implied meanings requires an understanding of the subtle ways bacon became ingrained in English-speaking popular culture.
Bacon Euphemisms
Some other protein-related slang exists as alternatives for bacon, either because they sound funny or avoid mentioning pork:
- Chicken – referring to money or cowardice
- Cooked goose – in trouble or out of luck
- Big cheese – important person
- Top dog – leader or winner
- Big enchilada – main attraction
However, none quite match the goofy appeal and versatility of bacon slang. Its popularity endures because of the cocktail of pleasurable associations bacon provides – salty, fatty indulgence combines with the windfall of pig farming profits.
Conclusions
In summary, bacon took on an array of slang meanings due to its cultural symbolism of sinfully delicious pleasure and agricultural wealth creation. Calling someone the “big bacon” paints them as the crème de la crème. Bacon metaphors add flavor to everyday speech and pop culture by invoking familiar joyful experiences. As a pillar of the Western cultural zeitgeist, bacon’s slang symbolism will likely continue sizzling for decades to come.