Boob tube
noun, slang
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A television. dated, derogatory, informal
"Pictured on boob-tubes innumerable, babbled on travelling transistors Australia-wide."
- 2 an electronic device that receives television signals and displays them on a screen wordnet
- 3 A type of woman's upper body garment consisting of a taut band of cloth around the breasts and back. informal
"A midget prostitute in heels and a boob tube was walking on the bar."
Example
More examples"Pictured on boob-tubes innumerable, babbled on travelling transistors Australia-wide."
Etymology
* (television): An allusion to the idiocy of television programming and the supposed audience for such (boobs) and that the televisions of that era used cathode ray tube (CRT) vacuum tube displays. First use appears c. 1959, in the The Herald Journal. * (clothing): Due to the clothing being a tube-like garment that covers the breasts (boobs) of a woman. First use appears c. 1977, in the Daily Mail.