General
good buddy
What does good buddy mean?
Originally the friendliest word on the CB. In the 70s boom, 'good buddy' meant a fellow CBer, a pal on the channel, someone you'd shoot the breeze with at 3am on I-80. Films and pop songs turned it into the cliché trucker greeting everyone recognised.
"Thanks for the heads up about that bear, good buddy."
Origin
Popularised during the 1970s CB radio craze. The pejorative shift is documented from the 1980s onward, after the term became overused by non-truckers and the in-group adopted 'good neighbor' instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is 'good buddy' offensive to truckers?
Among actual long-haul drivers, yes — it's been used as a homophobic dig since at least the 1980s. Civilians using it as a friendly greeting usually have no idea.
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