Current Events > Why do they call them bouncers?

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They don't even bounce around

Because when you see them you turn bounce degrees and walk away

Because they tell undesirable men to 'bounce' which means get off the premises before I beat yo ass

still remember the bouncer on ps2? what a wasted potential

You can bounce a quarter off their tightly made beds

I've always thought of it as them bouncing people that shouldn't be there out.

The bouncing is figurative. They turn away people trying to get in that aren't allowed. Try visualizing that as if they are running at the doors and physically ricochet off of the bouncers.

Because if you're not on the guest list, they'll bounce your a** out of there

I thought it was because when they throw people out they bounce on the pavement like skipping stones.

Which came first? The job title bouncer or bouncing patrons out of your establishment?

I call them stiffers because they look so stiff just standing there at the door

radical_rhino posted...

Which came first? The job title bouncer or bouncing patrons out of your establishment?

'Bouncing' came first. Bouncers are the guys who do the bouncing.

Bouncing as a slang term came from the 1800s or thereabouts and is probably only still around because of bouncers.

Amakusa posted...

'Bouncing' came first. Bouncers are the guys who do the bouncing.

Bouncing as a slang term came from the 1800s or thereabouts.

Considering doing the act of 'Bouncing' would automatically make the person who is doing the act the 'Bouncer', I would say the 'Bouncer' came first as the intention made him the bouncer prior to the bouncing.

Dakimakura posted...

Considering doing the act of 'Bouncing' would automatically make the person who is doing the act the 'Bouncer', I would say the 'Bouncer' came first as the intention made him the bouncer prior to the bouncing.

Nah. Bouncer isn't what they were called first. They were just doormen or even just "security"