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

“I would wear brown tights and white bobby socks and I would gallop around the house.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 28, 2022

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

But rock ’n’ roll doesn’t make fashion relevant any more than putting bobby socks with stilettos does, although Oscar de la Renta did both.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2011

She’s about six years old, in a plaid jumper dress, white T-shirt, bobby socks and shoes, her hair loose from its braids, right hand gripping something against her chest.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot