1642. Rogers, Naaman the Syrian, 74. Do not all as much and more wonder at God's rare workmanship in the Ant, the poorest bugge that creeps.
1888. Grass Valley (Cal.) Tidings. Entomology, or bugology, is now taught to some extent in our public schools. This is well, and is of use. The children ought to learn about the bugs that are destructive to useful vegetation. It is better to learn much about bugs than so much about how to solve those arithmetical problems that will never face anybody in the practical affairs of life.
1888. Daily Inter-Ocean, March. The Insane Asylum Board some time ago discontinued a bug-killer's employment, and the doctor avers that the old hospital building is swarming with cockroaches, and that these bugs will soon be large and fat enough to carry out the inmates and take their food and clothes.
4. (American.)—Bug is also used idiomatically in various combinations, as big bugs (q.v.), a jocose and vulgar name for persons of wealth or distinction. Thence, similarly, cattle-bugs, that is, wealthy stock-raisers; gold-bugs, or monied men, etc.
1843. Haliburton, Sam Slick in England, ch. xv. The great guns and big bugs have to take in each other's ladies. Ibid, p. 24. Pick out the big bugs and see what sort of stuff they're made of.
1888. St. Louis Globe Democrat, March 5. 'Would Senator Allison's well-known views on silver coinage operate materially against him in New York.' 'I think not; I do not think the feeling against silver is anything like as strong as it was. Of course, a few gold-bugs might fight him, but any of the men I have mentioned are reasonably certain to carry New York.'
That beats the bugs, phr. (American).—A phrase conveying a high mead of praise; 'that beats cock-fighting.'
Verb (old).—1. A cant word among journeymen hatters, signifying the exchanging some of the dearest materials of which a hat is made for others of less value. Hats are composed of the furs and wools of diverse animals, among which is a small portion of bever's fur. Bugging is stealing the bever, and substituting in lieu thereof an equal weight of some cheaper ingredient. Bailiffs who take money to postpone or refrain the serving of a writ, are said to bug the writ.—Grose.
2. (thieves'.)—To bribe. In old slang, bailiffs accepting money to delay service were said to bug the writ.
3. (thieves'.)—To give; hand over; to deliver. Cf., sense 2.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict. 'He bug'd me a quid.' 'Bug over the rag.'
Bugaroch, adj. (Old Irish).—Pretty;
comely; handsome.—Grose.
Bug-Blinding, subs. (military).—Whitewashing
operations.
Bugger, subs. (old).—1. A thief
whose speciality is stealing
breast-pins from drunken men.
[From bug, a cant term for a
breast pin, + (g) ger.] Also
called a bug hunter. For
synonymous terms, see Area-sneak
and Bug-hunter.
2. (low.)—A man; a fellow. A coarse term of abuse without, however, any reference to the legal meaning—a sodomite. The French has an exact equivalent in Bougre, which Littré says is une terme de mépris et d'injure, usité dans le langage populaire le plus trivial et le plus grossier. The term, as applied to a man, is equivalent to bitch (q.v.), as applied to women. Hence also buggery (q.v.).
1719. D'Urfey, Pills, I., 59. From every trench the bougers fly. [m.]
