like "four-eyes" but ... without a trace of "rudeness", "disparagement" etc

Question

Looking for an slang term for someone who wears spectacles.

The only term that I can think of is "four-eyes".
On one hand, there is no "taboo sign/warning" by this entry in the online bilingual dictionary I normally use. On the other hand, such authority as http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/four-eyes
and http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/four-eyes
describe this slang term as "offensive" and "disparaging".
I have always thought "four-eyes" is but sort of an innocent teenager slang...

Also, what is the plural for "four-eyes"?
Ex.: Can you see the two four-eyeses (?) at the corner?

Elanguest · Accepted Answer

It is a derogatory phrase used most often by children. I don't know of any plural form.

Fosse8 · Answer

It's an insult, as are most of the analogous slang terms - "speccy" is most common in my experience, but equally offensive if you don't know the person well enough to joke at each other's physical foibles. They're also very childish; consider these to be on the same level as "fatso" or "baldy" or "big-ears" and use with extreme caution.

"Bespectacled" or "spectacled" can be useful variations if you're trying not just to say "the man in the glasses" over and over again, but there isn't really a non-offensive slang term for what you're trying to say.

Anonymous · Answer

Fosse8 -

I like your answer. Thanks.

Fosse8and use with extreme caution.

I will :-)

KJinCali79 · Answer

In AmE you could say "specs" but context and circumstance are key.

For example, if you were in a crowded room and you wanted to point out someone to someone else and the person to whom you are referring is wearing glasses, you could say, "you see specs over there?" You would not say "four-eyes" unless you intended to be derogatory, and you would probably make yourself look bad for saying this since it is a childish taunt.

If you have a friend who wears glasses you can jokingly say hello, like "Hey Specs!" However, you should know whether your friend is self-conscious about his/her eyewear or if he/she is quite confident in wearing them. You would not say this to someone you do not know.

Anonymous · Answer

Nice answer. It does deserve a big LIKE. Thanks.

Khoff · Answer

This thread strikes me as really strange.  Everyone in my family and practically everyone I know wears glasses (or contacts); I can't imagine anyone calling attention to someone's glasses.  I've never heard anyone called "specs," and if someone said it to me I would have no idea what they were talking about.  Calling someone "four-eyes" sounds like it's from the 1940's or earlier.

Fivejedjon · Answer

khoffThis thread strikes me as really strange.[...] I can't imagine anyone calling attention to someone's glasses. I've never heard anyone called "specs," and if someone said it to me I would have no idea what they were talking about. Calling someone "four-eyes" sounds like it's from the 1940's or earlier.

Elanguest · Answer

That is true. I can't think of an English-speaking country where it would be considered innocent to call attention to someone's physical disabilities by forming nicknames about them. I know this is done without malice in some cultures, but generally English-speaking countries adhere to rules of "political correctness."

Khoff · Answer

I agree with what you say, but it's not what I was trying to say.  I was saying that wearing glasses is so common it's not considered a "disability."  Identifying someone by the glasses they wear would be like saying "Oh, look at that guy in the shirt!  Hey, Shirt!"

like "four-eyes" but ... without a trace of "rudeness", "disparagement" etc

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