Why do some people say baby at the end of every sentence even when the listener is not a baby but an adult?
"Tell me, baby"
"What's your name, baby?"
"Look at me, baby."
...
"Tell me, baby"
"What's your name, baby?"
"Look at me, baby."
...
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Why do some people say "baby"?
Why do some people say baby at the end of every sentence even when the listener is not a baby but an adult?
"Tell me, baby" "What's your name, baby?" "Look at me, baby." ...
This is mostly outdated slang, though today sometimes people might affectionately refer to their girlfriends as "baby". I wasn't around when it was supposed to be common -- it was the 60s or 70s -- so I don't know how common it actually was. It's just slang usage, something thrown into the sentence to make it sound cooler.
Sometimes outdated slang is used for ironic effect... for instance, the main character of the film Austin Powers uses expressions like "groovy, baby!" because that reflects the slang of the time period he was from, but people who like Austin Powers might imitate his catchphrases, while they are well aware that the slang is outdated. Austin Powers sort of makes it cool again. - Kef
The slang use of the word "baby" is common in the black community in the United States. It is often used as a term of endearment.
A lot of people still use it. It's a term of endearment, usually said to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Kef says it's outdated slang and Skippy and Hutch say it's still common. Do Americans in general have little knowledge of each others usage?
I was perhaps a little hasty in declaring it outdated. It all depends on context, not to mention the speaker. For instance, I don't think a man is typically likely to refer to another man as "baby" in modern slang unless their relationship is very close, though I could be wrong.
- Kef
<For instance, I don't think a man is typically likely to refer to another man as "baby" in modern slang unless their relationship is very close, though I could be wrong. >
Gay men, for example?
Yes, but in a meaning of something cute, not something sexually attractive.
It does sound awkward. "Babe" is much more common. Kef isn't wrong, necessarily, just hasty :-P
My boyfriend calls me BabyGirl but other guys call me babe. Guys can be soo sweet.
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