Mooning

/ˈmuːnɪŋ/ verb

Definition

To expose one's bare buttocks as a joke or insult, or to gaze at the moon dreamily.

Etymology

The buttocks sense is modern American slang (1960s-70s), possibly from the moon-shaped appearance. The dreamy sense relates to the moon's poetic associations with reverie.

Kelly Says

Mooning as a prank exploded in popularity during the 1960s counterculture, becoming the ultimate teenage rebellion—a literally bare-faced rejection of propriety that's memorable precisely because it's so absurd and undeniable.

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