question for british immamothers

amother

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 11:57 am

We hosted a group of high school girls from England visiting sems. They kept on using the word becky(?) about someone or a group of people. What does that mean? It sounded somewhat derogatory is it like calling a girl jappy? I have a niece whose name is Rebecca and we call her Becky, would she be ridiculed if she visits England?

greenfire

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 12:03 pm

okay so you know more than we do ... thanx for the lesson

according to google it can mean a couple of things:

a) An amazing girl who can be quite quiet but likes to listen to other people. She doesn't realise how much she is worth and doubts herself often.

b) Another name for getting a blowjob.

amother

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 12:21 pm

Wow, haven't heard that term since I was in high school.

Becky = jappy basically. I think it meant more fashion / social obsessed than boys. I don't know why becky, or if the meaning has changed, but when I was using words like that no one called Becky got teased about it, wasn't such a big deal.

amother

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 12:45 pm

Yeah it basically means a similar thing as "jewish princess". It means she comes across kind of shallow, interested only in superficial things/fashion, you know, typically rich - it's not a term for working class girls more for those who come from well to do families but the types who worked themselves up to be successful not rich by birth. It may also imply that she is a bit b**chy or hangs around in a clique.

You get the idea, no one you would want to be friends with really, and just all round annoying girl.

To be honest I have no idea where the word comes from or how it came about or if it is specifically a "Jewish" thing or not.

amother

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 12:47 pm

It's not a word used to describe frum girls, it's largely a word used to describe secular girls.
I'm sure there are frum girls who are vaguely similar but they wouldn't be described as "becky".

AlwaysThinking

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 1:14 pm

greenfire - were you looking on urban dictionary? If so, the definitions are entirely chosen by 14 year old boys Tongue Out

The way I understood it was, becky means like Jewish princess, but not usually at all frum, not at all tznius, usually lots of money, a little bit tacky and sometimes from Essex. The becky girls would be the ones hanging outside Solly's restaurant in just a leotard and fairy wings on purim, making lots of screeching noises and then driving away in their convertible mini coopers.

wispalover

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 1:21 pm

It's "bec" not "becky".. as in 'wow, she is such a bec".

I literally haven't had that term since high school... more than a few years ago to say the least.

greenfire

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 1:21 pm

Riff wrote:

greenfire - were you looking on urban dictionary? If so, the definitions are entirely chosen by 14 year old boys Tongue Out

yes indeedy ~ the queen's dictionary was currently unavailable What

AlwaysThinking

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 1:25 pm

wispalover wrote:

It's "bec" not "becky".. as in 'wow, she is such a bec".

I literally haven't had that term since high school... more than a few years ago to say the least.

It certainly is becky as well, but yeah, bec too. Usually it's the becky girls calling each other becs Wink

amother

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 1:50 pm

It might be a NW London word, not specifically jewish. I think the noun is beck, as in "she's such a beck", but don't know the origin.

Raisin

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 4:02 pm

I think it is Jewish in origin. Maybe because Rebecca is a typical name among that crowd.

I don't think Essex comes into it at all. A typical beck would come from NW London, not Ilford.

Raisin

Tue, Nov 26 2013, 4:22 pm

I don't think it is used in frum circles, maybe Bnei Akiva types, but mostly the type of people who go to JFS and the like.

amother

Wed, Nov 27 2013, 4:45 am

Definitely used in Hasmo, that must be where I picked it up.

And it didn't have anything to do with nouveau riche parents, we weren't aware of stuff like that, it was just someone who was a bit too interested in hair, nails, clothes etc and far more interested in what they were doing Saturday night that on Shabbos. Was definitely not a particularly frum term, BA not BY. It was an insult as we all thought we were holier than the becks, who were considered to be shallow.

Schoolgirls are pretty judgemental, thinking about it.

Mrs Bissli

Wed, Nov 27 2013, 5:23 pm

What!? Since when do bec girls go to sems in Israel????

I think other posters gave enough explanations. Definitely NW London, not Ilford, absolutely not Stamford Hill. It's not really secular vs frum as someone said, there are bec-ey girls at Hasmo (according to my DD). They do tend to come from well off families. Kind of girls who like to wear fashionable items, branded clothes, much into make-up, aspiring to show off latest mobiles etc. Fancy schmancy bat mitzvahs.

I think the term is strictly within Jewish circles, I have never heard of it among non-Jewish friends.
I don't know where the term comes from, I thought it could be some cockney rhyming slang about Tooting Bec but it has nothing to do with jewish world. Then I thought maybe it's association with the Beckhams but the term seems to precede Spice Girls...

Raisin

Wed, Nov 27 2013, 5:41 pm

I'm sure I heard it when I was a teenager which was (just) pre spice girls. I was in school in stamford hill but we had NW London girls.

I think Hasmo has a wide range of frumness, thats how you have sem girls talking about the becks in their school.

Imogen

Wed, Nov 27 2013, 6:53 pm

Oh yes, beck is the noun, and becky is the adjective.

Similar to JAP. Not a compliment but not necessarily insulting depending on crowd and context. Usually not academic or frum but concerned with fashion, fitting in, slight nouveau riche connotation, must have right accessories and image, not considered high class, but for some much loved just like the JAP. Becky girls here in UK have a reputation for being shallow and cliquey, but also can be friendly and welcoming too. A bit like valley girls if that is the right term in sense of a Jewish sterotype, not taken seriously as problem or insult!

Rebecca is a popular name here in UK, and after a smile or silly joke at most, very few girls called Becky, Becka or such seem to have any probs, I know we have one close by!!!!