livedarklions

According to a bunch of people on Facebook, a phrase I thought was universal was actually unique to Minnesota.

When I was a kid, we would call giving someone a ride on the back of our bikes "giving them a buck." So if you wanted a ride, you would ask "can you give me a buck?".

Has anyone not from Minnesota used that name for it? If not, was there a different word for it?

caloso

We said give me a pump. Northern California.

Broctoon

Same in Utah. Never heard of someone asking for a buck in this context, only when they want to borrow a dollar.

AdkMtnMonster

“It’d be nice if you could pull me into town.”

-Kip

livedarklions

I never heard "give me a pump". Did anyone east of the Rockies?

I'm finding it interesting that there doesn't seem to be a standard word for this.

nomadmax 

In appalachia it's "Can/will you (carry me) to town/home?"


BTW, where in heck are the text tools anymore? Underline, font and such?

Koyote

I grew up in Minnesota, and we always called it “giving a buck.“ I’ve subsequently lived in about a half dozen other states and never heard the term.

Milton Keynes

I think you can use the regular brackets for changing font styles. Like just type [ b ] [ /b ] for bold, only without the spaces. Or you can just use the buttons at the top of the text entry window. If you don't see the buttons up there any more, then maybe you need to clear your browser cache.

livedarklions

I lived in Minneapolis until my 20s. I'm now 60 and have also lived in many places. I really never thought about why I wasn't hearing the term anywhere else because I was already too old to be asked to do that by the time I left the state.

As a kid, I had a Stingray with a banana seat, so giving a buck was a common occurrence.

Phil_gretz

I can't remember anything that we said when I was a child. Nothing at all, unless I were to strain at remembering in a quiet room for hours. That's too much work. Good on you guys for remembering.

Litespud

when I was a kid in Ireland, we would either give someone a “back carrier” (sitting on rear rack) or a “crossbar” (sidesaddle on the top tube)

livedarklions

The stick shift on the Stingray would have made the crossbar rather unpleasant!

I and some other Minnesotans were trying to figure out the origin of "buck". All we could come up with was maybe a back formation from "buckboard" or a weird pronunciation of "back". No one really had any idea, but we all agreed we called it that as kids.

fredlord

Wow. I remember more from 1974 than I do from last week for sure.

In Sydney you'd say "give us a double" or "give us a dink".

livedarklions

"Dink" had a very different meaning in Minnesota when I was a kid in the 1960s. Definitely meant "penis".

RGMN

I grew up and still live in Minnesota. It was always giving a buck. Things are different here, though. It's pop not soda and duck duck grey duck not duck duck goose. But at least we don't call a drinking fountain a bubbler.

mschwett 

never heard that term, nor the others mentioned above. grew up in the bay area, 1980s. lots of bike riding.

mstateglfr 

Late 80s and early 90s in Chicago NW burbs-

"lemme hop on". And then we would slow roll thru town with a kid on the back pegs and another sometimes on the front pegs.

ClydeClydeson

I grew up 50km North of Minnesota and never heard the term.

If you wanted a ride you'd say 'can you double me?'

livedarklions

We've now established that the term did not cross an international border. Anyone from Wisconsin, Iowa, or the Dakotas want to weigh in? What did you call it?

Fun fact--Minnesota actually shares a border with Michigan. It's in Lake Superior.

REDMASTA

gas, ass, or grass?

R200

In the 1970's and 1980's the phrase "giving a buck" was definitely part of the local language in the Twin Cities. At that time, giving rides to a passenger who sat on the seat while the pedaller stood were extremely common. Banana seats were preferred! I have never heard the phrase anywhere else, nor have I seen as much of the activity. It would be nice to know how the phrase originated. Is the phrase still in use today?

livedarklions

I can attest to it back to the 1960s, and I have seen Facebook posts claiming to remember its use in the 1950s. But definitely all people who recognize the phrase were from Minnesota.

WhyFi

Yup, it was a "buck" for me, too, growing up in St Paul in the 80s/90s. It would be interesting to see the etymology and to know how regional it is.

WhyFi

I grew up in the BMX heyday and standing on rear wheel pegs was the preferred platform for giving/receiving a buck. Occasionally, you'd see someone with their ass on the bars and feet on front wheel pegs, but that was usually when two people were getting a buck and the rear pegs were occupied, too.

Zeus_cat

I grew up in New Ulm, MN back in the 60's and 70's and giving a buck was a common term. Haven't heard it in many decades.