royal bumps

noun

A ritual of two or more persons holding another person by the arms and legs, face up, while bumping them repeatedly on the floor. In modern times it is a lighthearted affair, generally performed only on a young person's birthday with the number of bumps corresponding to the person's age in years. Historically it was a hazing.

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Meanings

nounroyal bumps pl (plural only)
  1. colloquialidiomaticpluralplural onlyA ritual of two or more persons holding another person by the arms and legs, face up, while bumping them repeatedly on the floor. In modern times it is a lighthearted affair, generally performed only on a young person's birthday with the number of bumps corresponding to the person's age in years. Historically it was a hazing.

    I didn't tell the girls it was my birthday. First thing they always did was grab the poor victim's arms and legs and give her the royal bumps.

    1975, Bess Kaplan, The empty chair, page 43
Cite this entry
APA

royal bumps. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/royal%20bumps

MLA

“royal bumps.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/royal%20bumps. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “royal bumps,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/royal%20bumps.

Source: royal bumps on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.