broheim

n. brother; friend, buddy. Also broham, brougham, or (rarely) broheem. Subjects: English, Relationships, Slang

Editorial Note: This term was recently popularized by the movie A History of Violence. Etymological Note: The Berkeley High School Slang Dictionary (2004, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California) says that the brougham variation derives from the Cadillac Brougham, a high-end sedan; however, there is no substantiation for this and it is highly unlikely.

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Citations: 1991 Usenet: alt.sex.bondage (June 5) “Eloise pt 1, commentary”: Amen, broham. 1993 Big Daddy Kane Looks Like a Job For… “Stop Shammin’”: That whole busy attitude is a sham/Umm bro, umm brother, umm.. Brougham, stop shammin! 1993 [Peter J. Menchetti] Usenet: alt.music.hardcore (Mar. 21) “Re: paper cuts”: Hey, more power to ya broham. 1996 [Circle Jerk] Usenet: rec.games.video.3do (Dec. 9) “Re: EVIG”: What harm can a game like doom be to a 15 year old, I mean really get a life broham. 2000 [SurfSarge] Usenet: alt.surfing (Mar. 28) “Re: eastern NC”: You def made a nice transition from the sponge after years of me beggn you to ride glass…Stoked for ya broheim! 2000 [Chris Psaros] Usenet: alt.fan.dragonball (May 31) “Re: DBZ BK Commercial UP for download! Link is HERE”: Wow, thanks bro-heim!! I was really wanting to see that. 2001 Usenet: alt.surfing (Mar. 1) “Re: Surfrider Blue water task force”: Flek, R U a l33t H4X0r? No way you be more leet than my main broheem JeffK. 2002 Wayne Normis Last Street Fighter (May) p. 107: Broham, you’re gonna be the first pimp I know wearing a chef’s hat. 2002 Carmen O. Melillo Love, Blood, & Honor (Aug. 13) p. 252: “This here’s my main man, ‘Broham.’” He held out his palm to Leon and said, “Give me five Brohammer. What’s goin awn?” 2003 Chuck Stamford Usenet: alt.christnet.christianlife (Sept. 1) “Re: Are there any here that will stand up for Benny Hinn?”: “Broham” = “Brother a’ mine,” and “Brohammmm” = “Really glad to see ya’ brother a’ mine.” 2004 [singdancecrap] @ Kalamazoo, Michigan Mortigi Tempo (Dec. 8) “10,000”: Josh, man, you know yr my BROUGHAM. 2005 [Joe] The Adventures and Thoughts of a Boy from Seattle (Seattle, Washington) (Apr. 6) “Majoring in what?”: I was chilling with the Broheim outside on the patio and one of the brothers brings a lovely lady to the table. 2006 Missy Schwartz Entertainment Weekly (Feb. 10) “William Hurt A History Of Violence” p. 64: One moment he’s embracing his long-lost brother Joey (Viggo Mortensen) with great affection; the next, he’s calmly ordering his goons to whack that same “broheim” for treachery. 2006 [Em] Lucy’s Spleen (California) (May 5): I think my little broheim would like this town a lot, and have wished for a chance to show him a little slice of Where Sistron Has Been Living All This Time.

Posted 9 Jun 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Broheim?
Only in the Jewish ghetto.

Brougham:

No substantiation? Don’t be sub-culturally illiterate! You didn’t ask any black folks to substantiate it for you, did you? And, while it may have been RE-popularized by this new movie, it first came into vogue (or, at least, to my attention) in the early 1980’s. For an earlier example of its use on the screen, see the animated feature, “Bebe’s Kids” from about 1991 or so, written by and starring the late Robin Harris and also Tone Loc.
Additionally, It wasn’t specifically the caddy, there were a number of other popular models under the moniker “brougham”, notably the olds “98” and “cutlass supreme.”
General Motors used the term to denote their top-of-the-line option package and we used it as a familiar form of address for someone we held in esteem.

by peter k alexander 10 Jun 06, 0116 GMT

It’s not about what people say a word means or where they say it originates, it’s about what can be proven. There’s often a big gap between the two.

As you can see from the citations, broheim is by far and away the most common spelling. There’s nothing Jewish about it.

Regarding consulting black folks: There’s nothing particularly African-American about this term, no matter what it says elsewhere. There’s more evidence that it’s a surfing term than a black term. Anyway, don’t you know Big Daddy Kane is black? Did you see that quote? At least one other cite comes from a black person, too.

I’ll see if I can dig out the Robin Harris work that has any mention of the term, but it may take some time. He has a 1989 comedy CD where he used material similar to what became the 1992 movie, so perhaps it’s in there.

by Grant Barrett 10 Jun 06, 0517 GMT

did not see the BDK Quote and concede that my surfer buddies used the term liberally, now that you bring it to mind.

by peter k alexander 10 Jun 06, 0959 GMT

In the late ‘90’s film “the Great White Hype”, a character actually defines this term as a Cadillac when explaining to the Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum and Jamie Foxx characters: “merlot Brougham, it’s a…Cadillac.” Mr. Jackson’s character offers to bribe Jamie Foxx’s fighter by offering him jewels, cars, etc, about midway or one third into the movie.

by Jon Waller 12 Jun 06, 0246 GMT

But does the character call a person that?

by Grant Barrett 12 Jun 06, 0248 GMT

No, just identified solely as a reference to the automobile in this one instance (the only reference) in the movie. Merlot was defined by the movie charachter as “two seperate color tones, a maroon or red, and brown”. The charachter then proceeds to define “Brougham” as the Cadillac.

by Jon Waller 12 Jun 06, 0258 GMT

Ben Affleck used ‘broheim’ on a late 90’s “Saturday Night Live” skit when he hosted. Remember the weirdo over-sexed couple played by Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan? (They would get people caught up in their sexual come-ons until the poor victim went over-the-line and then the couple got outraged? Affleck played a Middle-Eastern car salesman who, getting buddy-buddy with Kattan to make the sale, called him “homesnake…br oheim”. Looking at the citations, it might pre-date all the other examples for ‘broheim’.

by mike c. 03 Apr 07, 1109 GMT

I first heard this used in 1980, by a friend from Brooklyn. While he is African-American, he used it to address male friends of all races. The word was pronounced “Broham.”

by Rebecca Maksel 20 Apr 07, 0543 GMT

My friends and I (from the Orange County/L.A. county border in Southern California) used to refer to each other as “broham” pretty regularly, sometime around the early 80’s (if I were to guess, around 1980).

I’d always assumed it came from the car model, but can’t really back that up.

by Patrick Morris 25 Apr 07, 0957 GMT

My cousins and I have grown up around the term “broheim” with the pronunciation being bro-heem since the time we were children.
We’re not Jewish, not black, nor are we surfers: it’s just been in the family for years.

by MJE 11 Aug 07, 0943 GMT

bro = brother
heim = home

literal translation = brother-home

or brother from back home

from germanic/scandinavian speaking immigrants to USA back in the day, passed down through generations to existing usage.

Very simple origins and pretty cool term of endearment.

by SeanyG 22 Mar 10, 0326 GMT