(Possible NSFW) How naked is "buck nekkid" and what is the difference between it and regular naked?

No shoes, no boots, no socks; that’s buck naked.

Regular naked you’ve got something to keep your feet safe.

“Buck nekkid” is when you’re horny horned.

According to the Google Ngram word timeline, the term “buck naked” came into use around 1922 and was used sparsely in literature until 1980, peaked around 1998, and is used only slightly less now than in the ‘90s.

The term “buck nekkid” came into use later, around 1942, peaked in 1961, nearly came into disuse from ‘65 to ‘80, then became very popular (like “buck naked”) from ‘81 to ‘98, then dropped slightly like between then and 2015 (again, like “buck naked”).

The etymology is confusing and not very firm, but the explanation that makes most sense to me is that the term “buck” is a derogatory reference to an American Indian male. According to Anglo lore, many were said to have often hunted wearing very little clothing, or none at all. He was buck-naked.

Now, butt-naked would be much clearer.

I always kind of see/hear “Butt naked.” And that term would explain it all. Wait…. @janbb just said that. :D.

Totally the same. While the origins of the term are lost in the mists of time, the etymology that I go with is naked as a buck, meaning a male deer. (Similar to naked as a jay bird.)

^^ Yeah, but “naked as a jaybird” doesn’t refer to a bird. Makes no sense, as jaybirds aren’t naked, they are covered with feathers. It referred to a jail-bird, or j-bird. When new j-birds were brought in from the bus, they went to the showers, were given their kit and made to walk from one end of the prison to the other naked. Naked as a j-bird.

There ya go, @Espiritus_Corvus. That makes much more sense.

I also think that the correct term is not “spitting image,” but “splitting image.” Which makes much more sense.

I used to know some one who would say, “We need to nip that in the butt.” Since she was my boss I couldn’t say much.

We say “stark naked” & I reckon the differece to being just naked can only be described in one way & that way is “legs akimbo”
A stark contrast to simply standing there, plain naked

I was thinking that the buck and starkness comes from it being public. Being naked at home is just naked, until the window cleaner comes around…

I think “buck” or “stark” whatever the derivation as just used for emphasis, not a different degree of nakedness. Naked is naked.

Naked means without clothes.
Buck naked means no clothes, hats, socks, shoes, thongs, flip-flops, rings, earrings, necklaces, sunglasses, piercings, Birkenstocks. Absolutely nuttin,’ honey!

Not even Bikenstocks??? Oh, the scandal!

@janbb Except Eliot Spitzer wore socks.

Well if you people aren’t going to take this discussion seriously, I’m going home.

I’d like so see an infographic which first lists how naked each of the many colorful nakedness adjectives there are is, and then also has a graph comparing how common the usage of each term is over the years, also with explanations of the meanings and origins of the terms.

I think that @janbb is more or less correct that it’s ultimately just a matter of emphasis. But as a way of expressing emphasis, the phrase (and variations on it) probably wouldn’t be pragmatically appropriate in situations where the nudity is unsurprising (like in an art class) or toned down (like when the person is naked, but using their hands to cover up). “Buck naked” and its variants are for situations when everything is showing or when the nudity is surprising.

@Dutchess_III I think you meant “Oh, the sandal!”

“buck adv [origin unknown] (1928) : stark, completely <~ naked>” -from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.

I think of “Buck naked” as caught in the act, or being seen naked. There is an implied air of the inappropriate either in being spotted or the fact that the nudity itself is wrong for the time or place.

This guy is not Buck naked, he is Burck Naked!

I understood that “Naked” is not having any clothes on while “Nekkid” is not having any clothes on and you are a doing something you aughn’t be a doin’.

^^^^LOllll!