subs. (vulgar).—1. A corrupted form of BURST: hence BUSTING, BUSTED, etc.
1837. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, 219. A kind of BUSTING noise.
2. (thieves’).—A burglary.
1887. J. W. HORSLEY, Jottings from Jail. ‘Fatty Bill, from City Road, rem. for a BUST ex. two years,’ means that William … has been compelled to leave his congenial haunts in the City Road, as he is remanded for a burglary, and anticipates two years’ hard labour.
3. (common).—A frolic; a spree; a drunken debauch: see TO GO ON THE BUST.
1860. BARTLETT (quoted in), A Californian Song.
| And when we get our pockets full | |
| Of his bright, shinin’ dust, | |
| We’ll travel straight for home again, | |
| And spend it on a BUST. |
1862. New York Herald, 11 Jan. In old times, Joshua sent Jericho ON A BUST with his horns.
1897. MARSHALL, Pomes, 65. I’m resolv’d, don’t you see, to go in for a BUST On the forthcoming Derby.
4. (American).—A failure; a fizzle.
1859. BARTLETT, Dictionary of Americanisms, s.v. BUST. The following conundrum went the rounds of the papers at the time the Whig party failed to elect Mr. Clay to the Presidency: ‘Why is the Whig party like a sculptor? Because it takes Clay, and makes a BUST.’
Verb. (vulgar).—1. To burst; to explode.
1838. DICKENS, Nicholas Nickleby, lvii. His genius would have BUSTED all bonds.
1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, I., 286. Keep cool, Jefferson … don’t BUST! Ibid., II., 124. If the biler of this vessel was Toe BUST Sir … and Toe BUST now, it would be a festival day in the calendar of despotism.
2. (thieves’).—To commit a burglary.
3. (thieves’).—To inform against an accomplice; to split; TO PEACH (q.v.); to turn king’s evidence.
4. (American).—To fail in business or other transactions.
1839. J. C. NEAL, Charcoal Sketches, ‘Dilly Jones.’ I was soon fotch’d up in the victualling line—and I BUSTED for the benefit of my creditors.
5. (general).—To put out of breath; to WIND (q.v.).
c. 1880. Broadside Ballad, ‘Taking out the Baby.’ Spoken—And they had all been taking out the baby, and all had had such a doing—that boy o’ mine nearly BUSTED me—and of course they all think they deserve a glass of beer.
6. (American).—To indulge in a drunken frolic; to go on the spree: cf. TO GO ON THE BUST.
1869. New Orleans Picayune, Feb. 14. Because I was a good-natured fellow, I had to go with them, rollicking, teaparting, excursioning, and BUSTING generally.
7. (American).—To destroy; to commit suicide; to set aside; to expose.
1880. BRET HARTE, Chiquita, 22. Did you know Briggs of Tuolumne? BUSTED hisself in White Pine, and blew out is brains.
1883. North of England Advertiser, 1 Sept. Then he got the Moabite pottery which Mr. Clement Ganneau BUSTED.
1859. DICKENS, Tale of Two Cities, I., iii. BUST ME if I don’t think he’d been a drinking!
TO GO ON THE BUST, phr. (common).—To go on a frolic or spree.
