# Bugger > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bugger > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bugger.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugger > Source revision: 1356545263 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Slang term or mild expletive For other uses, see [Bugger (disambiguation)](/source/Bugger_(disambiguation)). Look up ***[bugger](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bugger)*** or ***[Bugger](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bugger)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ***Bugger*** or ***buggar*** can at times be considered as a mild [swear](/source/Profanity) word. In the United Kingdom the term has been used commonly to imply dissatisfaction, refer to someone or something whose behaviour is in some way inconvenient or perhaps as an expression of surprise. In the [United States](/source/United_States), particularly in the [Midwest](/source/Midwestern_United_States) and [South](/source/Southern_United_States), it is an inoffensive slang term meaning "small animal". The term is used in the vernacular of [British English](/source/British_English), [Australian English](/source/Australian_English), [New Zealand English](/source/New_Zealand_English), [South African English](/source/South_African_English), [Hawaiian Pidgin](/source/Hawaiian_Pidgin), [Indian English](/source/Indian_English), [Pakistani English](/source/Pakistani_English), [Canadian English](/source/Canadian_English), [Caribbean English](/source/Caribbean_English), [Malaysian English](/source/Malaysian_English), [Singaporean English](/source/Singaporean_English) and in [Sri Lankan English](/source/Sri_Lankan_English). ## Etymology It is derived from Anglo-Norman *bougre*, from Latin *Bulgarus*, in reference to [Bulgaria](/source/First_Bulgarian_Empire), from which the [Bogomils](/source/Bogomilism), a sect labeled by church authorities as [heretics](/source/Heretics), were thought to have come in the 11th century, after other "heretics" to whom abominable practices were imputed in an abusively disparaging manner.[1] (The word *Bogomil* itself is not etymologically related.) ## History The term is thought to have emerged around the early 13th century, after Pope [Innocent III](/source/Innocent_III) and the northern French kingdom engaged in the [Albigensian Crusade](/source/Albigensian_Crusade) in southern [France](/source/France). This led to the slaughter of about 20,000 men,[2] women and children, [Cathar](/source/Catharism) and Catholic alike and brought the region firmly under the control of the King of France. The crusade was directed against heretical Christians and the nobility of [Toulouse](/source/Toulouse) and vassals of the Crown of [Aragon](/source/Aragon).[2] The populace of [Provence](/source/Provence) and Northern [Italy](/source/Italy) sympathized with the victims of the crusade because of their moral purity. It was then that the Catholic clergy launched a vilifying campaign against them, associating them with unorthodox sexual practices and [sodomy](/source/Sodomy).[3] ## Usage ### Noun In some [English speaking](/source/English_speaking) communities the word has been in use traditionally without any profane connotations. For instance, within the [Anglo-Indian](/source/Anglo-Indian) community in India the word *bugger* has been in use, in an affectionate manner, to address or refer to a close friend or fellow schoolmate. In the United States it can be a rough synonym to [whippersnapper](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whippersnapper) as in calling a young boy a "little bugger".[4] In 1978, [Mr Justice](/source/Mr_Justice) [Sir Melford Stevenson](/source/Sir_Melford_Stevenson), [QC](/source/Queen's_Counsel) was reprimanded for calling the British [Sexual Offences Act 1967](/source/Sexual_Offences_Act_1967) a "buggers' charter".[5] ### Verb As a verb, the word is used in Commonwealth English to denote sodomy. In Great Britain, the phrase "Bugger me sideways" (or a variation of this) can be used as an expression of surprise. It can also be used as a [synonym](/source/Synonym) for "broken", as in "This PC's buggered" (similar to the verb *[bricked](/source/Brick_(electronics))*); "Oh no! I've buggered it up"; or "It's gone to buggery". In Anglophone Southern Africa, Australia, Canada and Britain, "buggered" is colloquially used to describe something, usually a machine or vehicle, as broken. The phrase "bugger off" (*bug off* in [American English](/source/American_English)[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]) means to go, or run, away; when used as a command it means "go away" ("get lost" or "leave me alone") and can also be used in much the same type of relatively offensive manner. "I'm buggered", "I'll be buggered" and "bugger me" are used [colloquially](/source/Colloquial) in Great Britain (and often in New Zealand and Australia as well) to denote or feign surprise at an unexpected (or possibly unwanted) occurrence. "I'm buggered" can also be used to indicate a state of fatigue. In this latter form it found fame in New Zealand in 1956 through rugby player Peter Jones, who—in a live post-match radio interview—declared himself "absolutely buggered", a turn of phrase considered shocking at the time.[6][7] It is famously alleged that the last words of [King George V](/source/George_V_of_the_United_Kingdom) were "Bugger [Bognor](/source/Bognor_Regis)", in response to a suggestion that he might recover from his illness and visit Bognor Regis.[8] Variations on the phrase "bugger it" are commonly used to imply frustration, admission of defeat or the sense that something is not worth doing, as in "bugger this for a lark" or "bugger this for a game of [soldiers](/source/Tin_soldier)". ### Interjection As an interjection, "bugger" is sometimes used as a single-word expletive. "Buggeration" is a derivation occasionally found in British English.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] As with many expletives,[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] its continued use has reduced its shock value and offensiveness. Thus the [Toyota](/source/Toyota) car company in Australia and [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand) ran a popular series of advertisements where "Bugger!"[9] was the only spoken word (with exception of an utterance of "bugger me!") (frequently repeated); they then ran a censored version of the ad in which "Bugger!" was bleeped out, as a joke against those who spoke out against the ad claiming it was offensive. The term is generally not used in the United States, but it is recognised, although inoffensive there. It is also used in Canada more frequently than in the United States but with less stigma than in other parts of the world. In the [pre-watershed](/source/Watershed_(broadcasting)) television version of *[Four Weddings and a Funeral](/source/Four_Weddings_and_a_Funeral)* the opening sequence is modified from repeated exclamations of "[Fuck!](/source/Fuck)" by [Hugh Grant](/source/Hugh_Grant) and [Charlotte Coleman](/source/Charlotte_Coleman) when they are late for the first wedding to repeated exclamations of "Bugger!". ## Derived terms ### Bagarapim Look up ***[bagarapim](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bagarapim)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. "**Bagarap**" (from "buggered up") is a common word in Pacific pidgins such as [Tok Pisin](/source/Tok_Pisin) of [Papua New Guinea](/source/Papua_New_Guinea), [Brokan](/source/Brokan) (Torres Strait Creole) of Australia and Papua and others, meaning "broken", "hurt", "ruined", "destroyed", "tired", and so on, as in Tok Pisin "kanu i bagarap", Brokan "kenu i bagarap", "the canoe is broken" or Tok Pisin/Brokan "kaikai i bagarap", "the food is spoiled". Tok Pisin "mi bagarap pinis" ("me bugger-up finish") means, "I am very tired", or "I am very ill", while the Brokan equivalent, "ai pinis bagarap", is more "I'm done in", "I'm finished/I've had it".[10] The term was put to use in the album *Bagarap Empires* by [Fred Smith](/source/Iain_Campbell_Smith), which was made to capture the peace process in [Bougainville](/source/Autonomous_Region_of_Bougainville), an island province of [Papua New Guinea](/source/Papua_New_Guinea); in a number of the songs he uses [Melanesian](/source/Melanesian_languages) [pidgin](/source/Pidgin), the language used in Bougainville and elsewhere. ### Little buggers "Little buggers" means children, a term so familiar in the United Kingdom that there is a series of professional teaching manuals with titles that start "Getting the buggers to ..."[11] ### Bugger about "To bugger about" means to mess around, to do something ineffectively.[12] ### Bugger all Look up ***[bugger all](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bugger_all)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. "Bugger all" means "nothing", as in *You may not like paying taxes, but there's bugger all you can do about it* and *The police are doing bugger all about all this aggro that's going on*. See also *[fuck all](/source/Fuck_all)*, *[sweet FA](/source/Sweet_FA)*, and *Llareggub* ("bugger all" spelled backwards, a fictional Welsh town in Dylan Thomas' radio play *[Under Milk Wood](/source/Under_Milk_Wood)*). ### Bugger me The phrase "bugger me" is a slang term used for a situation that has yielded an unexpected or undesirable result. Common usage includes "bugger me dead" and "bugger me blind".[13] ### Bugger's muddle Colloquial military term for a disorderly group—either assembled without formation or in a formation that does not meet the standards of the commentator: "just form a bugger's muddle", "there's a bugger's muddle of civvies hanging around the gate", "Get that bugger's muddle of yours fallen in properly". ### Bugger off Look up ***[bugger off](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bugger_off)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The phrase "bugger off" is a slang or dismissive term meaning "go away" or "leave". ### Buggery Look up ***[buggery](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/buggery)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The word *buggery* today also serves as a general expletive (mild, moderate or severe depending on the context and company), and can be used to replace the word *bugger* as a simple expletive or as a [simile](/source/Simile) in phrases which do not actually refer literally in any sense to buggery itself, but just use the word for its informal strength of impact, e.g., *Run like buggery*, which is equivalent to *Run like hell* but would be regarded by most listeners as more obscene. ### Embuggerance [Eric Partridge](/source/Eric_Partridge) defined *embuggerance factor* as "a natural or artificial hazard that complicates any proposed course of action". It was reportedly British military slang in the 1950s.[12] [Terry Pratchett](/source/Terry_Pratchett) used the word in this sense when he referred to his [Alzheimer's disease](/source/Alzheimer's_disease), which had prevented him from attending conventions, as "the Embuggerance".[14] ### Play silly buggers Look up ***[play silly buggers](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/play_silly_buggers)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. To act in a stupid or reckless manner. (Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) ## See also - [Buggery](/source/Sodomy) - [Buggery Act 1533](/source/Buggery_Act_1533) - [Bogomils](/source/Bogomils) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Partridge_1-0)** Partridge, Eric (1966) [1959]. *Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English*. p. 66. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cheney_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cheney_2-1) [Cheney, Christopher R.](/source/C._R._Cheney) (1976). *Innocent III and England*. Stuttgart: Anton Hiersemann. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [*Bogomilism Study*](https://web.archive.org/web/20150810053756/http://bogomilism.eu/Studies/Bugger%20case.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.bogomilism.eu/Studies/Bugger%20case.html) on 2015-08-10. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** For an example of this inoffensive usage, see ["A Partially True Autobiography"](http://www.gigglepoetry.com/autobiography/autobio.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090328190725/http://www.gigglepoetry.com/autobiography/autobio.html) 2009-03-28 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) by Bruce Lansky 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Rohrer, Finlo (12 May 2004). ["Are judges politically correct?"](https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3706939.stm). *BBC News*. The well-known judge was once reprimanded by the lord chancellor for calling the Sexual Offences Act 1967 a "buggers' charter". 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Norquay, Kevin (November 11, 2006). ["For more than a century it has been a Garden of Eden ablaze with sporting colour..."](https://web.archive.org/web/20081014095831/http://www.edenparkresidents.org.nz/newsdisplay.asp?id=52) Eden Park Residents Association. Archived from [the original](http://www.edenparkresidents.org.nz/newsdisplay.asp?id=52) on October 14, 2008. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["If you wish upon a star, make sure you are awake"](http://www.stuff.co.nz/southlandtimes/4689466a26572.html). *[The Southland Times](/source/The_Southland_Times)*. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2011.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["When Bognor earned its 'Regis'"](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/3764523.stm). *BBC News online*. 1 June 2004. Retrieved 19 March 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Rudder, Gawen (24 March 2017). ["A step back in time - 30 years of great advertising"](http://www.adnews.com.au/news/a-step-back-in-time-30-years-of-great-advertising). *AdNews*. Retrieved 18 March 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Bagarap](http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/PNG/MIHALIC/M71/LetterB/bagarap.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110608114707/http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/PNG/MIHALIC/M71/LetterB/bagarap.htm) 2011-06-08 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) in *The Jacaranda dictionary and grammar of Melanesian pidgin* by F. Mihalic (1971). Accessed 21 January 2009. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Sue Cowley Bookshop"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150419182842/http://www.suecowley.co.uk/books.html). suecowley. Archived from [the original](http://www.suecowley.co.uk/books.html) on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2017. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Quinion_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Quinion_12-1) Quinion, Michael. ["Embuggerance"](http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-emb1.htm). *World Wide Words*. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Aussie Sayings"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110315073947/http://www.mcguinnessonline.com/australia/aussie_sayings1.htm). McGuinnessOnline. Archived from [the original](http://www.mcguinnessonline.com/australia/aussie_sayings1.htm) on 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["The Embuggerance."](https://discworld.com/the-embuggerance/) *Discworld.com*. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2020. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bugger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugger) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugger?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.