Whitesnake rules

[ROBINDESBOIS]

What does it mean, I saw it in a film? And whitesnake by itself ?

[pjt33]

Creo que "Whitesnake" será el nombre de algún pueblo, bar, equipo de fútbol, o lo que sea. "Rules" podría ser verbo ("Whitesnake es el más chulo" - literalmente "reina"), o sustantivo ("las reglas de Whitesnake").

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Thanks

[Awaken]

Originally Posted by ROBINDESBOIS

What does it mean, I saw it in a film? And whitesnake by itself ?

Whitesnake is a rock band (music from the 1980s). Saying "Whitesnake rules!" is the rock music way of saying "Whitesnake is awesome!"

[Vincamerica]

"Rules" also often means "the best".

[ROBINDESBOIS]

OK, thanks.

[Vincamerica]

For your information, the meaning of "rules" in this case is strictly vernacular. It is NOT part of proper English, and no dictionary will give the definition as it has been defined here. It's introduction into American English is probably about 15 years old.

[alx]

Is it the same if I say "Whitesnake rocks"?
I've heard "to rock" to mean "cool" or "awesome", am I right?

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by Vincamerica

For your information, the meaning of "rules" in this case is strictly vernacular. It is NOT part of proper English, and no dictionary will give the definition as it has been defined here. It's introduction into American English is probably about 15 years old.

I expect it goes much further back than that. (See: recency illusion).

Apparently (I don't have the source to confirm) OED has citations for "X rules OK" going back to 1975 but believes it originated in the 1930s. The loss of the emphatic "OK" is a fairly straightforward mutation.

[Awaken]

Originally Posted by alx

Is it the same if I say "Whitesnake rocks"?
I've heard "to rock" to mean "cool" or "awesome", am I right?

You are correct.