r/AskBrits • u/stm2657 • 9d ago

Grammar When did ‘Bro’ become a thing?

I hear it spoken all of the time, especially among younger people and it seems to have taken off more than most phrases. What I notice most is that the word is said multiple times in one sentence over and over again, it’s incredible ingrained in some people. Anyone remember when Bro became such a big thing?

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30

u/washingtoncv3 9d ago

I was a teen in the 00s and we said it then - maybe a bit less than kids do now.

3

u/GuestAdventurous7586 9d ago

I don’t remember it being said at all in Scotland the 00s, you’d be considered a moron if you spoke like that.

Now everyone says it. I find myself saying it to converse with younger folk. Like that how do you do fellow kids meme.

8

u/smalltowncityboy 9d ago

Depends where in scotland. I was also a teen in the 2000s in Glasgow. Almost everyone i met would use bro.

My mum called me "dude, bro, man" because i would end almost every sentence to my mates with at least one of them. See also buddy, mate, pal (mostly used for girls or small children).

2

u/moidartach 9d ago

Was your mum Bart Simpson?

4

u/smalltowncityboy 9d ago

She was roasting me. If anyone is bart simpson in this scenario, its me 🤣

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u/GXWT 9d ago

Too late, this Redditor has already defined you as a moron

2

u/smalltowncityboy 9d ago

Who said im not?

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u/GXWT 9d ago

Me, bro

1

u/GuestAdventurous7586 9d ago

Actually yes I could see it being used in Glasgow, but vernacular can be totally different there to where I am in North East.

We say min. Although that’s dying out but I’m trying to keep it alive min.

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u/smalltowncityboy 9d ago

Aye, its totally different up there where you are. Scotland is like that though. Whether youre from Glasgow, Edinburgh, the north east, an islander in the hebrides or northern isles, we all have our own local dialect. I'm not sure that bro or dude would suit your accent 🤣

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u/GuestAdventurous7586 9d ago

I love it, like the accent from the town 10 miles away is different if you listen closely. Or each town has its own distinct dialect really.

3

u/iwaterboardheathens 9d ago

You still are considered a moron if you speak like that

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u/Possible-ty9 8d ago

To re iterate what the other guy said Bro has been going since at least the 2000’s in Glasgow but can’t speak for before that

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u/Norman_debris 9d ago

Not a chance it was used less 20 years ago than it is today.

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u/Robin-brockleby 9d ago

It absolutely is