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I was watching the show, Sons Of Anarchy. One of the characters said to another character who was Mexican : Where is my 40, homes?

He said it with a Mexican accent and he was pointing at a stylish old car. I was confused with the meaning of this phrase. Can anyone tell me what this phrase means?

This is the image of the scene. It is maybe helpful to mention that the other guy had a Ford Pickup and recently has changed his ride. And these two characters are pretty intimate and he is just kidding. It was in season 6, episode 5

enter image description here

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    Hi! Can you tell us what the context was? If you could also mention the title of the episode I might find the script of the show online.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Jul 5, 2018 at 18:57
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    It might refer to location...in US radio code "what is your 20?" means your location; however, in many places in central america they say "tu 40" to mean the same thing.
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Commented Jul 5, 2018 at 19:09
  • Was the car a Dodge 440, or potentially another car utilizing the 440 engine? These big block engines are still popular with enthusiasts, are can be referred to as "40s".
    – DukeZhou
    Commented Jul 5, 2018 at 19:20
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    A "40" also refers to a 40-ounce bottle of beer usually associated with such an urban, lower-class milieu.
    – Robusto
    Commented Jul 5, 2018 at 19:34
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    I edited my question to provide some details
    – Amin Izadyar
    Commented Jul 6, 2018 at 8:06

2 Answers 2

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"homes" is almost certainly being used to mean "friend" or "buddy" It's a very common phrase among people speaking Mexican influenced English, so the Mexican accent makes sense.

It is unclear exactly what is meant by "40" in the context of the question. A "40" often refers to a 40 oz bottle of beer or malt liquor, so he might have been looking for that. Or maybe the second guy in the scene owed the speaker $40,000 for the fancy car.

Depending on the tone of voice and body language, "where is my 40, homes" could have been aggressive/threatening, indicating the speaker was upset that he didn't have his money.

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  • From Jeremy Sideris & Brittany McWilliams, From Grill to Dome: A Dictionary of African American Slang Words and Phrases (2005): "Forty: A forty-ounce bottle of beer or malt liquor. See also bub, Chrys, crunk juice, do it fluid, and eight ball." And from Clarence Major, Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang (1994): "Forty n. (1980s–1990s) forty-ounce beer [Youth culture use, Southern city use]." So the slang expression has been around for a while.
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Jul 5, 2018 at 22:52
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A "40" refers to a 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. Buying a 40 is particularly popular in the ghetto because a 40 will get you the drunkest for the cheapest. Because of the clientele that 40's bring in, some grocery stores and liquor stores refuse to carry them.

"Homes" should be "Holmes," which is a colloquialism that started with Latinos and means the same thing "dude" means, meaning it can often be used in a way that means the person is a friend, but not necessarily. Just like you might say to a friend in a friendly way, "Hey, dude, what's up?" you could also say, "Hey, Holmes, what's up?" But you might likewise say to someone you don't know, "Hey, get out of my way, dude!" or instead say, "Hey, get out of my way, Holmes!"

I'd source this, but I don't really know how because the way I know what these things mean is by living life.

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    Hunh...and all this time I thought it was short for "homeboy". The only ref. I could find was on urban dctionary, but they are not considered trustworthy here.
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Commented Jul 6, 2018 at 11:19
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    I first heard it living in Miami. They clearly say the L. Also, in graffiti, it's spelled "Holmes." And you're right about urban dictionary, because with the link you provided, it clearly contradicts itself (urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Holmes).
    – Billy
    Commented Jul 6, 2018 at 13:31
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    I don't doubt that people in at least some parts of the United States use the pronunciation and spelling "Holmes" instead of "homes"—but evidence exists that "homes" is a legitimate slang term (and spelling). From Randy Kearse, Street Talk (2006): "homes n. (general sl[ang]) old & new school 1. a way to address someone whose name you don't know or whose name you don't want to use {usually as a way to dismiss someone's importance}. ex: "If homes is goin' I'm not comin'."" And from Geneva Smitherman, Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner (1994): ...
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Jul 6, 2018 at 21:04
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    ... "HOMES 1) A Black person; Black people. 2) See HOMEY [the relevant definition there reads 'A person from one's neighborhood. Also homegirl/homeboy. Crossover terms and meaning. Also homes, home, home slice, and homefolks, terms that have not crossed over." So again, as with forty, we're dealing with a term that has been around for at least 24 years. Neither of these references has an entry for "Holmes."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Jul 6, 2018 at 21:04

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