Greasers
Fifties leather rebels
Greasers were young working-class men of the 1950s and early 1960s, named for the pomade they used to slick back their hair.
The style—leather jackets, white T-shirts, jeans, motorcycles—represented rebellious youth culture before it gave way to hippies.
He dressed like a greaser for the costume party.
The term also appears as an ethnic slur against Mexicans and other Latinos, based on the stereotype of oily skin or greasy food.
High-fronted upswept hairstyle
- leather jacketGarment of tanned animal skin
- switchbladeSpring-released folding knife
- motorcyclePowered two-wheeler
- ducktailSlicked-back men's hairstyle
hot rod · gang · rebel · juvenile delinquent · rumble · tough · comb · cigarette
Broadway musical, rival gangs
- Pink LadiesPale red cocktails
- rumbleLow rolling sound
- cry-babyHabitual complainer over nothing
- American Graffiti1962 California youth film
James Dean · Marlon Brando · John Travolta · Fonzie · Pleasantville
Hillbilly-influenced early rock
- ElvisRock and roll monarch
- doo-wopFifties vocal harmony genre
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
- sock hopInformal school dance
Buddy Holly · Chuck Berry · Little Richard · Jerry Lee Lewis · vinyl · rock and roll · Fats Domino · Bill Haley
Tool for turning fasteners
- garageEnclosed vehicle storage structure
- engineMachine producing motion
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
- auto shopVehicle repair facility
carburetor · toolbox · overalls · transmission · hot rod · drag racing · gearhead · pit crew
pompadour
High-fronted upswept hairstyle
- leather jacketGarment of tanned animal skin
- switchbladeSpring-released folding knife
- motorcyclePowered two-wheeler
ducktail · hot rod · gang · rebel · juvenile delinquent · rumble · tough · comb · cigarette · street corner
West Side Story
Broadway musical, rival gangs
- Pink LadiesPale red cocktails
- rumbleLow rolling sound
- cry-babyHabitual complainer over nothing
James Dean · Marlon Brando · John Travolta · Fonzie · American Graffiti · Pleasantville
rockabilly
Hillbilly-influenced early rock
sock hop · Buddy Holly · Chuck Berry · Little Richard · Jerry Lee Lewis · vinyl · rock and roll · Fats Domino · Bill Haley · boogie-woogie
wrench
Tool for turning fasteners
auto shop · carburetor · toolbox · overalls · transmission · hot rod · drag racing · gearhead · pit crew
Greaserspreppies
Affluent traditional students
jocks · frat boys · squares · Ivy Leaguers · lettermen
Greasersconformists
Those obeying social norms
squares · straight arrows · teacher's pets · goody-goodies · goody two-shoes
Greaserspreppies
Affluent traditional students
country club set · blue bloods · upper crust · trust fund kids · debutantes
- elbow greaseStrenuous physical effort
- grease someone's palmPay for corrupt favor
- grease gunsPressurized lubricant dispensers
- bacon greaseRendered pork fat
- greased lightningExtreme swiftness metaphor
- grease the wheelsEase a difficult process