Bung
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ʌŋ
Origin 1
From Medieval Dutch bonge, bonne or bonghe ("stopper"), or perhaps from French bonde, which may itself be either of origin, or from Proto-Celtic *bunda - either way probably from puncta ("hole"), the feminine singular form of Latin punctus, perfect passive participle of pungÅ ("pierce into, prick").
Full definition of bung
Noun
bung
(plural bungs)- A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc.
- 1996, Dudley Pope, Life in Nelson's NavyWith the heavy seas trying to broach the boat they baled — and eventually found someone had forgotten to put the bung in.
- 2008, Christine Carroll, The Senator's DaughterAndre pulled the bung from the top of a barrel, applied a glass tube with a suction device, and withdrew a pale, almost greenish liquid.
- A cecum or anus, especially of a slaughter animal.
- (slang) A bribe.
- 2006, December 21, Leader, Poorly tackled, It is almost a year since Luton Town's manager, Mike Newell, decided that whistle-blowing was no longer the preserve of referees and went public about illegal bungs.
- The orifice in the bilge of a cask through which it is filled; bunghole.
- (obsolete, slang) A sharper or pickpocket.
- ShakespeareYou filthy bung, away.
Verb
- (transitive) To plug, as with a bung.
- 1810, Agricultural Surveys: Worcester (1810)It has not yet been ascertained, which is the precise time when it becomes indispensable to bung the cider. The best, I believe, that can be done, is to seize the critical moment which precedes the formation of a pellicle on the surface...
- 2006, A. G. Payne, Cassell's Shilling CookeryPut the wine into a cask, cover up the bung-hole to keep out the dust, and when the hissing sound ceases, bung the hole closely, and leave the wine untouched for twelve months.
- (UK, Australian, transitive, informal) To put somewhere without care; chuck.
- 2004, Bob Ashley, Food and cultural studiesAnd to sustain us while we watch or read, we go to the freezer, take out a frozen pizza, bung it in the microwave and make do.''
- (transitive) To batter, bruise; to cause to bulge or swell.
- (transitive) To pass a bribe.
Derived terms
Origin 2
From Yagara bang ("dead").
Adjective
bung
- (Australia, NZ, slang) Broken, not in working order.
- 1922, Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Karen Oslund (introduction), , 2004, page 365,The evening we reached the glacier Bowers
href="http://freewordfinder.com/dictionary/w/">Henry Robertson Bowers wrote:...My right eye has gone bung, and my left one is pretty dicky. - 1953, Eric Linklater, A Year of Space, page 206,‘Morning Mrs. Weissnicht. I′ve just heard as how your washing-machine′s gone bung.’
- 1997, Lin Van Hek, The Ballad of Siddy Church, page 219,It′s the signal box, the main switchboard, that′s gone bung!
- 2006, Pip Wilson, Faces in the Street: Louisa and Henry Lawson and the Castlereagh Street Push, page 9,Henry had said, “Half a million bloomin′ acres. A quarter of a million blanky sheep shorn a year, and they can′t keep on two blokes. It′s not because wer′e union, mate. It′s because we′re newchums. Something′s gone bung with this country.â€