bobby socks

American  

[bob-ee-soks] / ˈbɒb iˌsɒks /

Also bobsox or bobby sox,

plural noun

1. socks that reach above the ankle and are sometimes folded down to the ankle.

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adjective

1. indicating or associated with the wearing of bobbysocks; adolescent.

   strictly a bobbysocks crowd; the bobbysocks generation.

bobby socks British  

plural noun

1. ankle-length socks worn by teenage girls, esp in the US in the 1940s

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Etymology

Origin of bobby socks

1940–45, bobby (for bobbed ² ( def. ), altered by association with bobby pin ) + socks ( def. )

Example Sentences

Scrappy Marie from Glasgow was edged out by Lulu, with her chipmunk smile, sculpted hair and bobby socks.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

“The Reynolds Sisters” entertained the church pews in hula skirts and bobby socks.

From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2016

The ability to collect information on Federal judges, government leaders, and presidential candidates makes J. Edgar Hoover’s 1950s blackmail schemes as quaint as the bobby socks and poodle skirts of that era.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2013

Even the painted-on white bobby socks, raffia headpieces and electric-blue eye makeup couldn’t distract from the talent this show displayed.

From New York Times • Sep. 19, 2010

Brenda had her lip stuck out because Ellie had gotten a pair of panty hose in her Christmas stocking and she had only bobby socks.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson