CB radio users have developed their own distinct form of communication which is used to communicate with the CB community known as CB Radio Lingo. By using these terms, CB radio users can feel connected and share stories easily.
As in all languages, slang plays a predominant role in getting the message across, and the CB radio users incorporate their own unique slang lingo. Nicknames are known as “Handles”, and many truckers will refer to each other by the word “Hand”.
Over the years, new additional words have been added to the language, making it ever more broad and sophisticated. There are a lot of words, enough to make up a CB Oxford dictionary, but here are a few popular terms for you to get to know. For a full list, you can take a look at this link.
Table of Contents
CB Radio Lingo for law enforcement
Bear trap – Police officer running radar
City kitty – Local city police officer
Smokey – Police officer
Flying donut – Police helicopter
County mounty – County sheriff
Blue light special – Police vehicle with blue lights flashing
Mama bear – Female police officer
Bubble gum machine – Old-style police vehicle
Checkpoint Charlie – Police checkpoint
Fox in the hen house – Unmarked police vehicle
CB radio for non-police vehicles and trucks
Meat wagon – Ambulance
Salt shaker – Snow plow
Blinkin winkin – School bus
Scanny – Scania truck
K-whopper – Kenworth truck
Bobtail rig – Road tractor without attached trailer
Piggy back – Truck towing another truck
Super chicken – Yellow freight truck
Wiggle Wagon – Truck with more than one trailer
Skateboard – Flatbed trailer
CB Radio other popular lingo
“Hundred-mile coffee” – very strong coffee
“Credit card machine” – Narrow, two-lane bridge
“Cash Box” – Toll booth
“Outdoor TV” – Drive-In
“Sandbagging” – Listening in without talking
“Double-nickels” – 55mph speed limit
“Groceries” – Meal
“Angry kangaroo” – truck with broken headlights
“3’s and 8’s” – Love and kisses
“Pickle park” – Rest area
Destinations
Though these terms are used for destinations within the United States, they are very interesting. Here are some and for the full list you can use the same link provided.
Lost Wages – Las Vegas, Nevada
Steam Town – Scranton, Pennsylvania
Windy City – Chicago, Illinois
Idiot Island – California
Cow Town – Okeechobee, Florida
Bingo – Binghamton, New York
Derby City – Louisville, Kentucky
Rock City – Little Rock, Arkansas
Mickey Mouse – Orlando, Florida
Motor City – Detroit, Michigan
As you can see from these examples, CB radio lingo make use of a large array of innovative slang words, providing an enjoyable and rather humorous way to communicate. This is one of the reasons why CB radio communication as a hobby is so popular and, unlike most languages, it is very easy to learn.
