A Bronx cheer is an American term for a derisive noise formed by sticking one’s tongue between one’s lips and blowing, producing a noise that sounds similar to flatulence. The same noise is called blowing a raspberry or razzberry, in other English-speaking countries. The term Bronx cheer is named for a borough of New York, the Bronx, and presumably the inhabitants’ propensity to employ their tongues to express derisive feelings when a sports team does not perform up to par. The term was first used in a newspaper by Damon Runyon, to describe the reaction of a crowd at a football game, in 1921.
The term blow a raspberry appears in the late 1800s, as a shortened version of the Cockney rhyming slang which involves the phrase raspberry tart.
Examples
Gary Bettman was in Chicago tonight for the raising of the Blackhawks’ 2015 Stanley Cup banner, but with the New York Rangers in town, Chicago fans decided to give the commissioner the Bronx cheer. (The Chicago Sun-Times)
Clinton would impose a tax on these order cancellations, which is worth a Bronx cheer because it is such a small and inconsequential reform. (USA Today)
Brett Pollock snapped the puck at Red Deer netminder Rylan Toth, drawing a Bronx cheer from a Rexall crowd that usually saves all its sarcastic serenading for Edmonton’s pro team. (The Edmonton Sun)
He told police: “Not only did she blow a raspberry, she then started to film me on her mobile.” (The Daily Star)
As Alex Sharp stood on the winner’s podium in New York, Tony theatre award in hand, he must have been tempted to blow a raspberry at Britain’s biggest drama schools. (The Independent)
“I’ve seen him already and I’ve shaken his hand so that takes that one out of the equation,” said Stubbs, who resisted the urge to blow a raspberry as well at reporters he imagined would be crestfallen by this news. (The Scotsman)