Benny is a derogatory term used by residents of Jersey Shore towns for tourists that visit each summer. The Jersey Shore is a colloquial term used in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to refer to the ocean-facing coast of New Jersey, together with the adjacent resort and residential communities. ...

In England, the term is used as a pejorative slang term to describe anyone of apparent mental slowness, especially by children (dervied from the character of the same name, played by Paul Henry in the soap opera Crossroads). It is also used to describe a person in a fit of rage or having a tantrum as in "He's having a benny". There are other people called Paul Henry Paul Henry, born 1947 in Birmingham, is a British actor whose best-known role was Benny Hawkins, a bumbling semi-rustic handyman he played from 1975 to 1988 in the soap opera Crossroads. ... Crossroads was a British television soap opera set in a motel near Birmingham, England. ...

History

Today, however, some locals say that the term stands for the names of the cities that these seasonal visitors hail from: Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York, although this may be a backronym. It has also been said that it stands for "Bastards Exiting Newark and New York", a more derogatory version referring to the commute to the shore of the lower class residents of those two local large cities during the hot months of the summer. Seal of Bayonne Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. ... Map of Elizabeth in Union County Union County Court House Elizabeth is a City in Union County, New Jersey, in the United States. ... Nickname: The Brick City Map of Newark in Essex County Coordinates: ) °′40. ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Illegitimacy was a term in common use for the condition of being born of parents who were not validly married to one another; the legal term was bastardy. ... Nickname: The Brick City Map of Newark in Essex County Coordinates: ) °′40. ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

Some historians believe that rather than a reference to their principal home towns, Benny stems from turn of the 20th century marketing ideas that the water, air, and sun of the shore were sources of health benefits, and the bennys were there for those benefits.

Stereotypical Behavior

Typical "benny" behavior is said to include:

• Driving carelessly or recklessly, with little regard for local traffic regulations
• Boorish, loud conduct in public areas (such as speaking loudly on cell phones and playing loud music)
• Going through the exact change lane at the toll bridges - without possessing exact change
• Wearing sneakers or socks with sandals on the beach
• Wearing no shirt or shoes in local restaurants and stores
• Quickly acquiring a full-body sunburn
• Littering on the beach
• Crowding the stores and restaurants and generally making life difficult for year-round residents.
• Asking for change for a dollar in quarters and dimes for use on the parkway tolls.
• Having a "farmer's tan" or "t-shirt tan"
• Getting in the way of surfers or body boarders in the ocean
• Driving the speed limit or slower in the left lane of the parkway

There are a number of anti-Benny phrases around the shore, with the most popular one being "Go home, Bennies!"[1] See World Wide Web for surfing the web; see also Wind surfing Surfing at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. ... A bodyboard is an instrument of wave riding consisting of a small roughly rectangular piece of foam, shaped to a hydrodynamic form. ...

Areas that use Term

• • Lavallette; **West Point Island
  • Toms River
  • Ortley Beach
  • Normandy Beach; **Ocean Beach 1, 2, and 3; **Chadwick Beach; **Silver Beach; **Monteray Beach; and **North Lavallette
  • Mantoloking
  • Bayhead
  • Brick
  • Seaside Heights
  • Seaside Park
  • Point Beach
  • Point Pleasant Borough
  • Asbury Park
  • Sea Bright
  • Spring Lake
  • Sea Girt
  • Avon
  • Belmar
  • Oceanport
  • Monmouth Beach
  • Beachwood

Lavallette is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Map of Toms River CDP in Ocean County Toms River is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated area located within Dover Township and is the county seat of Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Dover Beaches South is a census-designated place located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Dover Beaches North is a census-designated place located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Mantoloking is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Map of Bay Head in Ocean County Bay Head is a Borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Map of Brick Township in Ocean County Brick Township is a Township located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Seaside Heights is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Seaside Park is a borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Map of Point Pleasant Beach in Ocean County Point Pleasant Beach is a Borough located in Ocean County, New Jersey. ... Map of Point Pleasant in Ocean County Point Pleasant is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. ... Map of Asbury Park in Monmouth County Asbury Park is a City in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. ... Sea Bright is a borough located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Map of Spring Lake in Monmouth County Spring Lake is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. ... Sea Girt is a borough located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Avon-by-the-Sea is a Walsh Act borough located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Belmar is a borough located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. ... Map of Oceanport in Monmouth County Oceanport is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. ... Map of Monmouth Beach in Monmouth County Monmouth Beach is a Walsh Act Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. ... Beachwood is the name of several places in the United States of America: Beachwood, New Jersey Beachwood, Ohio This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Sources

• Benny Go Home official Website
• Benny (Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, New York acronym?)