bugger

Wikipedia

See also Bugger

English

Etymology

From French bougre, from Medieval Latin Bulgarus (“Bulgar”), used in designation of heretics to whom various unnatural practices were ascribed.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbʌɡə/
• Rhymes: -ʌɡə(r)

Noun

bugger (plural buggers)

1. (obsolete) A heretic.
2. (UK law) Someone who commits buggery; a sodomite.

   The British Sexual Offences Act of 1967 is a buggers′ charter. (see Are judges politically correct?)

3. (slang, pejorative, UK, Australia, New Zealand) A foolish or worthless person or thing; a despicable person.

   He's a silly bugger for losing his keys.

   The bugger′s given me the wrong change.

   My computer's being a bit of a bugger.

   • 1928, Frank Parker Day, Rockbound, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0500721h,

     “I′ll take it out on dat young bugger,” he thought viciously.

   • 1947, James Hilton, So Well Remembered, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0600371h,

     Here the cheers and shouts of the gallery were interrupted by a shabby little man in the back row who yelled out with piercing distinctness: “Don't matter what you call ′im now, George. The bugger′s dead.”

4. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) A situation that causes dismay.

   So you're stuck out in woop-woop and the next train back is Thursday next week. Well, that's a bit of a bugger.

5. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) Someone viewed with affection; a chap.

   How are you, you old bugger?

   • 1946, Olaf Stapledon, Arms Out of Hand, in Collected Stories, Gutenberg Australia eBook #0601341,

     Good luck, you old bugger!

   • 1953 February-March, Henry Beam Piper, John Joseph McGuire, Null-ABC, in Astounding Science Fiction, Gutenberg eBook #18346],

     “And if Pelton found out that his kids are Literates—Woooo!” Cardon grimaced. “Or what we've been doing to him. I hope I′m not around when that happens. I′m beginning to like the cantankerous old bugger.”

6. (slang, dated) A damn, anything at all.

   I don't give a bugger how important you think it is.

7. (slang, UK) Someone who is very fond of something

   I'm a bugger for Welsh cakes.

8. (slang, USA - West) A rough synonym for whippersnapper.

   What is that little bugger up to now?

Derived terms

• bugger factor

Translations

heretic — see heretic

someone who commits buggery

• Czech: sodomita (cs) m
• Dutch: sodemieter (nl)
• Finnish: pervo (fi)

• Hindi: गाँडू (hi) (gāṅḍū)
• Urdu: گانڈو (ur) (gāṅḍū)

foolish or worthless person, rascal

• Czech: debil (cs) m

• Finnish: homekorva (fi), tollo (fi)

slang: someone viewed with affection

• Finnish: kamu (fi)

dated slang: a damn

• Czech: hovno (cs) n
• Dutch: sodemieter (nl) (indefinite article only)

• Finnish: hittoakaan (fi)

slang: someone very fond of something

• Finnish: diggari (fi)

whippersnapper — see whippersnapper

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: majadero, jodón, fregón, fastidio

Verb

bugger (third-person singular simple present buggers, present participle buggering, simple past and past participle buggered)

1. (vulgar, UK) To sodomize.

   To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore (Attributed to Harry Mclintock's 1920s era Big Rock Candy Mountain)

2. (slang, vulgar in UK) To break or ruin.

   This computer is buggered! Oh no! I've buggered it up.

3. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) To be surprised.

   Bugger me sideways! Bugger me, here's my bus. Well, I'm buggered!

4. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) To feel contempt for some person or thing.

   Bugger Bognor. (Alleged to be the last words of king George V of the United Kingdom in response to a suggestion that he might recover from his illness and visit Bognor Regis.)

5. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) To feel frustration with something, or to consider that something is futile.

   Bugger this for a lark. Bugger this for a game of soldiers.

6. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) To be fatigued.

   I'm buggered from all that walking.

Derived terms

• bagarapim (Pidgin, derived from bugger up)
• bugger off
• bugger up
• bugger that for a joke
• buggerer(s)
• buggery
• bugger all
• play silly buggers

Translations

to have anal intercourse with

• Finnish: harrastaa anaaliseksiä (fi)

• French: empaffer (fr)
• Italian: inculare (it)

to ruin

• Czech: zkurvit (cs)
• Dutch: verneuken (nl)

• Finnish: pilata (fi)
• Russian: ломать (ru) (lomatʹ), портить (ru) (portitʹ)

Interjection

bugger

1. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand, vulgar) An expression of annoyance or displeasure.

   Bugger, I've missed the bus.

   Oh, bugger--

2. (slang, US, euphemistic, rare) Cutesy expression of very mild annoyance.

Synonyms

• bummer
• damn
• whoops
• See also Wikisaurus:dammit

Translations

slang: expressing annoyance

• Czech: kurva (cs)
• Finnish: voi helvetti (fi)

• Scottish Gaelic: cac (gd)

slang: cutsie expression of very mild annoyance

External links

• The Origins and Common Usage of British swear-words