boob tube

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boob tube

Where it comes from

* (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.

noun boob tubes

dated, derogatory, informal A television. Pictured on boob-tubes innumerable, babbled on travelling transistors Australia-wide.
Similar: idiot box, zombie box
informal A type of woman's upper body garment consisting of a taut band of cloth around the breasts and back. A midget prostitute in heels and a boob tube was walking on the bar.
Similar: tube top

Translations

Every language

noun slightly derogatory term for television

Español	caja idiota, caja tonta
Français	téloche
Deutsch	Glotze
Ελληνικά	χαζοκούτι chazokoúti
Русский	я́щик jáščik

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MLA

"boob tube." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/boob%20tube. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

boob tube. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/boob%20tube

Chicago

"boob tube." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/boob%20tube.

BibTeX

@misc{boob_tube_2026,
  title = {boob tube},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/boob%20tube},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}