bugger
bugger Lexical Profile
bugger Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A person or animal, used informally to express annoyance, sympathy, or playful affection.
"The poor little bugger has been waiting out in the rain for an hour."
British Something that is particularly annoying, difficult, or unpleasant to deal with.
"This rusty bolt is an absolute bugger to unscrew without the proper wrench."
• interjection
British An exclamation used to express annoyance, disappointment, or dismay.
"Bugger! I left my umbrella on the commuter train again."
• verb
British To ruin, spoil, or damage something, or to cause it to fail (often used with 'up').
"Falling on the icy pavement really buggered my knee before the marathon."
British To exhaust or tire someone out completely (usually used in the passive voice).
"We were utterly buggered after hauling the heavy timber up the hill all afternoon."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British, Australian, and New Zealand English, "bugger" is widely used as mild-to-moderate slang for a person, an annoying task, or an exclamation of frustration, though it remains inappropriate in formal contexts.
• Rhymes for bugger
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old French bougre (meaning heretic), from Medieval Latin Bulgarus (literally "a Bulgarian"), referencing the 11th-century Bogomil sect originating in Bulgaria before evolving into a general colloquial term of abuse or familiarity.