# royal bumps

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/royal-bumps
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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.

## Examples

- We gave our son his royal bumps for his fifth birthday.
- You always get royal bumps when it is your birthday at this school.
- The teenagers give their friend royal bumps in the park after the football game.
- The children gathered around their friend to give him his royal bumps as part of the birthday tradition.
- During the party, the cousins laughed as they gave the youngest child his royal bumps on the soft living room rug.
- After he blew out the candles, his older brothers insisted on giving him ten royal bumps to celebrate his big day.
- Following the long-standing custom, the students hoisted their classmate into the air to administer the traditional royal bumps for his eighteenth birthday.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.