bugger

See also: Bugger

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌɡə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌɡəɹ/

• Audio (UK):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -ʌɡə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Turkic *bulga-der.

Proto-Turkic *bulgar

Old Turkic 𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰀 (b¹ul¹ǧa)

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

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.

3. (slang, derogatory, Commonwealth, Hawaii) 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, Commonwealth, Hawaii) 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. (slang, Commonwealth, Hawaii) 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, Commonwealth) Someone who is very fond of something

   I'm a bugger for Welsh cakes.

8. (slang, UK, US) A whippersnapper, a tyke.

   What is that little bugger up to now?

Synonyms

• (sodomite): See Thesaurus:male homosexual and Thesaurus:fudge packer

Derived terms

• buggeration
• buggeree
• buggeress
• bugger factor
• buggersome
• Edinbugger
• embugger
• give a bugger
• play silly buggers
• rugger bugger
• sandbugger

Translations

heretic — see heretic

someone who commits buggery

• Bulgarian: педераст (bg) m (pederast)
• Czech: sodomita (cs) m
• Dutch: sodemieter (nl) m
• Esperanto: bugrulo
• Finnish: luonnonvastainen, pervertikko (fi)
• French: sodomite (fr) m
• German: Sodomit (de) m, Arschficker (vulgar) m
• Hindi: गांडू (hi) m (gāṇḍū)
• Russian: содомит (ru) m (sodomit)
• Spanish: pervertido (es) m, sodomita (es) m, bugarrón m, bujarrón (es) m
• Urdu: گانڈو m (gāṅḍū)

foolish or worthless person, rascal

• Afrikaans: bokker, bogger
• Bulgarian: нехранимайка (bg) m (nehranimajka), нехранимайко (bg) m (nehranimajko), мухльо (bg) m (muhljo)
• Czech: debil (cs) m
• Finnish: tollo (fi), kusipää (fi), lurjus (fi), ryökäle (fi), retku (fi), vintiö (fi) (child), retale (fi), renttu (fi)
• French: tête de nœud (fr) f, abruti (fr) m, glandu (fr) m
• German: Lump (de) m, Mistkerl (de) m, Arschloch (de) n
• Greek: βλάκας (el) m (vlákas)
• Māori: pokokōhua
• Slovak: blbec (sk) m

slang: a situation that causes dismay

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: szívás (hu)

slang: someone viewed with affection

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: kamu (fi), hemmo (fi)
• French: rascal (fr) m, vieille branche (fr) f
• German: Kumpel (de) m, Kerl (de) m
• Polish: skurwysyn (pl) m

dated slang: a damn

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: hovno (cs) n
• Dutch: sodemieter (nl) m (indefinite article only)
• Finnish: hittoakaan (fi)
• Portuguese: um puto

slang: someone very fond of something

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: maniulo
• Finnish: diggari (fi)
• French: fondu (fr) m
• German: Fan (de) m

whippersnapper — see whippersnapper

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} majadero (es) m, ^{(please verify)} jodón (es) m, ^{(please verify)} fregón (es) m, ^{(please verify)} fastidio (es) m

Verb

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

1. 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. (slang) To break or ruin.

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

3. (slang) 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.)

   Oh, bugger this! I'm going out for a beer instead.

Derived terms

• bugger about
• bugger all
• bugger around
• buggerer
• bugger me
• bugger me backwards
• bugger off
• bugger that for a joke
• bugger up
• buggery

Translations

to have anal intercourse with

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: bugri (eo)
• Finnish: harrastaa anaaliseksiä, panna perseeseen (vulgar)
• French: empaffer (fr), enculer (fr), sodomiser (fr)
• Greek: ξεκωλώνω (el) (xekolóno) (very vulgar), ξεκωλιάζω (xekoliázo) (very vulgar)

  Ancient Greek: λακωνίζω (lakōnízō)

• Italian: inculare (it) (very vulgar), sodomizzare (it), buggerare (it) (archaic)
• Latin: pēdīcō
• Polish: cwelić (pl) impf (esp. in prisons), przecwelić (pl) pf (esp. in prisons)
• Portuguese: enrabar (pt), ir ao cu (active), tomar no cu (pt), levar no cu (pt) (passive)
• Spanish: encular (es), sodomizar (es), dar por el culo

to ruin

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: zkurvit (cs)
• Dutch: verneuken (nl)
• Finnish: pilata (fi), rikkoa (fi), panna paskaksi
• French: ravager (fr), ruiner (fr)
• German: versauen (de), verpfuschen (de), ruinieren (de), vermurksen (de)
• Greek: καταστρέφω (el) (katastréfo)
• Polish: pierdolić (pl) impf, spierdolić (pl) pf, rozpierdalać impf (into smithereens), rozpierdolić (pl) pf (into smithereens)
• Russian: лома́ть (ru) (lomátʹ), по́ртить (ru) (pórtitʹ)

Interjection

bugger

1. (slang, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, vulgar) An expression of annoyance or displeasure.

   Bugger, I've missed the bus.

   • 1994, Richard Curtis, Four Weddings and a Funeral, spoken by Charles (Hugh Grant):

     Dear Lord, forgive me for what I am about to, ah, say in this magnificent place of worship. Bugger. Bugger! Bugger-bugger-bugger-bugger!

Synonyms

• bummer
• damn
• rats
• whoops

• See also Thesaurus:dammit

Translations

slang: expressing annoyance

• Afrikaans: bokker, bogger
• Bulgarian: дееба (deeba) (vulgar)
• Czech: kurva (cs)
• Esperanto: fek (eo)
• Finnish: pahus (fi), hitsi (fi)
• French: merde (fr), bordel (fr), nom de Dieu (fr)
• Greek: σκατά (el) (skatá)
• Māori: atā, kai a te kurī, āhahā
• Polish: szajs! (pl), kurwa! (pl)
• Scottish Gaelic: cac (gd)
• Swedish: fan också (sv), helvete (sv), skit (sv)
• Welsh: bygyr

Further reading

• The Origins and Common Usage of British swear-words

Etymology 2

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

bugger (plural buggers)

1. One who sets a bug (surveillance device); one who bugs.

Related terms

• buggee

French

Alternative forms

• beuguer, buguer, boguer

Etymology

From bug +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bœ.ɡe/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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Verb

bugger

1. (computing, also figurative) to malfunction, to glitch
   • 2021 April 15, Benjamin Bourgois, quotee, “Benjamin Bourgois: "On a été autorisés à s'embrasser"”, in La Provence, →ISSN, page 32:

     Quand je l'ai vue arriver, cela s'est passé comme dans la série, j'ai buggé. Elle était déjà trés jolie.

     When I saw her arrive, it happened like in the series: I glitched. She was already very pretty.

Conjugation

Conjugation of bugger (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	bugger
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	buggant /bœ.ɡɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		buggé /bœ.ɡe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	bugge /bœɡ/	bugges /bœɡ/	bugge /bœɡ/	buggons /bœ.ɡɔ̃/	buggez /bœ.ɡe/	buggent /bœɡ/
	imperfect	buggais /bœ.ɡɛ/	buggais /bœ.ɡɛ/	buggait /bœ.ɡɛ/	buggions /bœ.ɡjɔ̃/	buggiez /bœ.ɡje/	buggaient /bœ.ɡɛ/
	past historic2	buggai /bœ.ɡe/	buggas /bœ.ɡa/	bugga /bœ.ɡa/	buggâmes /bœ.ɡam/	buggâtes /bœ.ɡat/	buggèrent /bœ.ɡɛʁ/
	future	buggerai /bœ.ɡʁe/	buggeras /bœ.ɡʁa/	buggera /bœ.ɡʁa/	buggerons /bœ.ɡʁɔ̃/	buggerez /bœ.ɡʁe/	buggeront /bœ.ɡʁɔ̃/
	conditional	buggerais /bœ.ɡʁɛ/	buggerais /bœ.ɡʁɛ/	buggerait /bœ.ɡʁɛ/	buggerions /bœ.ɡə.ʁjɔ̃/	buggeriez /bœ.ɡə.ʁje/	buggeraient /bœ.ɡʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	bugge /bœɡ/	bugges /bœɡ/	bugge /bœɡ/	buggions /bœ.ɡjɔ̃/	buggiez /bœ.ɡje/	buggent /bœɡ/
	imperfect2	buggasse /bœ.ɡas/	buggasses /bœ.ɡas/	buggât /bœ.ɡa/	buggassions /bœ.ɡa.sjɔ̃/	buggassiez /bœ.ɡa.sje/	buggassent /bœ.ɡas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	bugge /bœɡ/	—	buggons /bœ.ɡɔ̃/	buggez /bœ.ɡe/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

See also

• débugger