Square used as slang may mean many things when referring to a person, or it may refer to a cigarette A cigarette is a product consumed through smoking and manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco, often combined with other additives, then rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder (generally less than 120 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter). The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder.
The term "square", in referring to a person, originally meant someone who was honest, traditional, and loyal, hence the saying "be there or be square". 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.
In the parlance of jazz Jazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions. The style's West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note, a square was a person who failed to appreciate the medium, hence (more broadly) someone who was out of date or out of touch. In the counterculture Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter (or as an alternative) to those of the mainstream society, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. It is a neologism attributed to Theodore Roszak 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 hipsters Hipster, as used in the 1940s, referred to aficionados of jazz, in particular modern jazz, which became popular in the early 1940s. The hipster adopted the lifestyle of the jazz musician, including some or all of the following: manner of dress, slang terminology, use of cannabis and other drugs, relaxed attitude, sarcastic humor, self-imposed in the 1940s, beatniks Beatnik, a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s, was a synthesis of the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s into a cartoonish misrepresentation of the real life people and the spirituality found in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical fiction. Kerouac spoke out against this misdirected detour from his in the 1950s, hippies The hippie subculture is a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created in the 1960s, yippies in the 1970s, and other individuals who took part in the movements which emerged to contest the more conservative Conservatism is a political and social term from the Latin verb conservare meaning to save or preserve. As the name suggests it usually indicates support for tradition and traditional values though the meaning has changed in different countries and time periods. The modern political term conservative was used by French politician Chateaubriand in 1 national, political, religious, philosophical, musical and social trends. It was in this context that Sly and the Family Stone Sly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music. Headed by singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and containing several of his's trumpet player Cynthia Robinson yelled out in the hit "Dance to the Music "Dance to the Music" is a 1968 hit single by the influential soul/rock/funk 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 throughout the black music industry": "All the squares go home!" If the counterculture was a shift from conservatism to liberalism, then square was what liberal people called a 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 is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He sings lead vocals and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs. The band is perhaps best known in American popular culture for their third album Sports and their contribution to the soundtrack of the 198's 1986 hit Hip To Be Square.
In modern usage it can be used to describe a person who leads a lawful existence, particularly in regard to employment.
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" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was first released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock. Composer Mike Stoller can be seen playing piano in the film presentation of the song", a song most famously sung by Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley a was an American singer, actor, and musician selling over one billion records internationally. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" or "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 "What's his Story?," which includes the stanza:
- At the gate stands a sinning fool
- Shouting "Lordy Lordy"
- 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 aweful square
- When I shout, "Stop that dancing up there."
Positive connotations
Square can mean good and honest, a sense preserved in the phrases "fair and square", "a square deal" and "a square meal"; 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 Freemasonry.
The term was used in the American Cub Scout Promise until 1971.
The chorus of the George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878–November 5, 1942), known professionally as George M. Cohan, was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer. Known as "the man who owned Broadway" in the decade before World War I, he is considered the father of American musical comedy 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":
- Let’s not be L7, come and learn to dance.
Wings Wings was a rock group formed in August 1971 by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. The group was the only "permanent" group that any of the former members of the Beatles were ever involved with after their break-up. During its life, Wings had 12 top-10 singles (including one #1) in the United Kingdom and 14 top-10 singles (including six #1s) in included this line in the song "C Moon":
- It will be L7 and I'd never get to heaven
The Sandlot's Squints used this line to describe Smalls: Come on, Benny. Man. The kid is a... L7 weenie!
See also
- Hip (slang)
- The Man "The Man" is a slang phrase that refers to the government, leaders of large corporations, and other authority figures in general, rather than a specific person. "The Man" is colloquially defined as the figurative person who controls the world. The phrase is also often used as a symbol of racial oppression, as well as the boss
- The Establishment The Establishment is a term used to refer to the traditional ruling class elite and the structures of society that they control. The term can be used to describe specific entrenched elite structures in specific institutions, but is usually informal in application. For example, candidates for political office are often said to have to impress the &
- L7
Categories: Jazz culture | Slang Categories: Sociolinguistics | Language varieties and styles | Words | Dialects | 1940s slang | 1950s slang | 1960s slang | 1970s slang | American slang
Wall Street Journal
He is known throughout Mexico simply as "El Chapo," Mexican slang for a short and stocky man. Adding to his mystique, "El Chapo" has survived several assassination attempts by rival gangs, including a 1993 attack that killed a Roman Catholic cardinal. ...
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Does this square have bendy lines Click on the image for a larger version
TheRetroHousewife
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