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

What fascinated me was that the girl who rode bikes or opened holiday presents with her brother, and posed in the swing skirts and bobby socks of another era, looked remarkably like me.

From Salon • Aug. 24, 2019

She was Jane Katz, 67, who has been teaching New Yorkers how to swim since the bobby socks era.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2010

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