Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“Life in high school sucks. I bucked the system. I also got lucky. “
- Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong on not finishing high school. (Rolling Stone)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
choose to not follow the rules
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Have you heard of a bucking bronco? It’s a crazy, wild horse that is difficult to ride because it keeps trying to throw you off.
Some people are sort of like that. They don’t want to cooperate or do what’s expected of them. Sometimes people who buck the system end up in jail or on drugs. Other times it works out well for them. A lot of rich and famous people got where they are by bucking the system.
Billie Joe Armstrong dropped out of high school. He bucked the system and did things his own way, and he wound up becoming a rock star. But he knows that he was very lucky. A lot of people who don’t finish high school are miserable and poor because they chose to buck the system.
The system generally refers to any sort of large organization or tradition. If you start a company and do things differently than all the other companies in the industry, you’re bucking the system. When a boy does things differently than his parents would like, he’s bucking the system too.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“You can go through life bucking the system, or you can change a little and make things easier for yourself.”
“My uncle is always bucking the system. He doesn’t pay taxes or have a driver’s license.
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