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bugger

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bugger¹

  • /ˈbʌɡə/ UK
  • /ˈbʌɡəɹ/ US

Rhymes with -ʌɡə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Turkic *bulga-der.

Proto-Turkic *bulgar

Old Turkic 𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰀 (b¹wl¹g¹a)

Proto-Indo-European *-nós

Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos

Proto-Slavic *-inъ

Old Church Slavonic -инъ (-inŭ)

Old Church Slavonic блъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ)der.

Medieval Latin Bulgarusder.

Old French bogrebor.

Middle English bougre

English bugger

From Middle English bougre (“heretic”), from Old French bougre, from Medieval Latin Bulgarus (“Bulgar”), from Old Church Slavonic блъгаринъ (blŭgarinŭ, “Bulgarian”), used in designation of heretics (especially the Bogomils, who arose around the 10th century AD in the First Bulgarian Empire), to whom various sexual practices such as anal sex were ascribed. Doublet of Bulgar.

noun buggers

  1. obsolete A heretic.
  2. UK Someone who commits buggery; a sodomite. The British Sexual Offences Act of 1967 is a buggers’ charter.
  3. Commonwealth, Hawaii, derogatory, slang A foolish or worthless person or thing; a despicable person. He's a silly bugger for losing his keys.
  4. Commonwealth, Hawaii, slang A situation that is aggravating or causes dismay; a pain. So you're stuck out in the woop-woop and the next train back is Thursday next week. Well, that's a bit of a bugger.
  5. Commonwealth, Hawaii, slang Someone viewed with affection; a chap. How are you, you old bugger?
  6. dated, slang A damn, anything at all. I don't give a bugger how important you think it is.
  7. Commonwealth, slang Someone who is very fond of something I'm a bugger for Welsh cakes.
  8. UK, US, slang A whippersnapper, a tyke. What is that little bugger up to now?

verb buggers · buggering · buggered

  1. Commonwealth, transitive, vulgar To have anal sex with, sodomize. To be buggered sore like a hobo's whore (Attributed to Harry Mclintock's 1920s era Big Rock Candy Mountain)
  2. Commonwealth, slang, transitive, vulgar To break or ruin. This computer is buggered! Oh no! I've buggered it up.
  3. Commonwealth, slang, transitive, vulgar Expressing contemptuous dismissal of the grammatical object. 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.)

interjection

  1. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, slang, transitive, vulgar An expression of annoyance or displeasure. Bugger, I've missed the bus.

bugger²

  • /ˈbʌɡə/ UK
  • /ˈbʌɡəɹ/ US

Rhymes with -ʌɡə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

English bug

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āzios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English bugger

From bug (noun) + -er.

noun buggers

  1. Commonwealth, transitive, vulgar One who sets a bug (surveillance device); one who bugs.

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