Cruisin' the Gut

(verb) A regional term used mostly by high school aged people in Appleton, Wisconsin that describes the act of driving a car back and forth on College Avenue often during the summer months and often with a group of friends in the evenings in order to mingle socially with peers. The pattern always includes driving east on College Avenue, turning left (north) onto N. Drew Street at the History Museum, then turning left again (west) onto E. Washington Street, and turning left again (south) onto N. Durkee Street and finally turning right (west) onto College Avenue. In order to change direction from east to west, you have several options, including "The Lawrence Return", "The Houdini Flip", "The Division Delay", and a host of others.

The act of "cruisin' the gut" effectively allows one to achieve one or more of the following: Showcasing the latest features added to your automobile or truck, showing off car stereo systems by playing music loudly with car windows rolled down, "checking out" the opposite sex who may be hanging out on the sidewalks of College Avenue, mingling socially, spending time outside of the parental units' homes, generally wasting time and attempting to beat the boredom that often comes with living in the state of Wisconsin, enjoying an interesting alternative to ice fishing.

I saw a super hot guy in front of Murray Photo last night when we were cruisin' the gut.

Cruisin' the Gut by the456girl April 28, 2012

cruising the gut 

Same as Cruisin' the Gut, though it wasn't limited to Appleton, Wisconsin. In the 1960s, teenagers in Battle Creek, Michigan, would "cruise the gut" or "go cruising the gut." They'd load their car with friends and drive slowly along Michigan Avenue, the main downtown shopping street on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

As in Appleton, cruising the gut was primarily social, a chance to show off your car and how cool you were...and to eye everyone else, too.

These days, classic car collectors seem to have taken over the term. There's an annual "Cruise the Gut" event in Battle Creek, and a larger "Cruising the Gut" classic car show in Vancouver, Washington. Another regional variant is "Dragging the Gut," as celebrated in McMinnville, Oregon.

"Let's go cruise the gut."

"They're downtown cruising the gut."

cruising the gut by TwinzyKid October 31, 2013