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ESLBeginner Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
What's a 'buster'
Could someone tell me what's the original meaning of 'buster'? I don't believe a six-letter word could have 5 different meanings - according to my dictionary it could mean:
1. an informal form of address for a man
2. a robust child
3. a person who breaks horses
4. a person (or thing) that breaks up or overpowers something
5. a person born in the generation following the baby boom when the birth rate fell dramatically
1. an informal form of address for a man
2. a robust child
3. a person who breaks horses
4. a person (or thing) that breaks up or overpowers something
5. a person born in the generation following the baby boom when the birth rate fell dramatically
Top answer
Hello, and welcome to English Forums. I'm not sure I understand your comment about how many meanings a word can have. If you look up "to" or "can" you'll find far more definitions than there are letters in the word!
- Hello, and welcome to English Forums.
- I'm not sure I understand your comment about how many meanings a word can have.
- If you look up "to" or "can" you'll find far more definitions than there are letters in the word!
- S.
- 1.
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5 Answers
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Hello, and welcome to English Forums.
I'm not sure I understand your comment about how many meanings a word can have. If you look up "to" or "can" you'll find far more definitions than there are letters in the word!
I don't know what the first use this word was, but I can tell you which are common in the U.S.
1. This sounds very old fashioned. You see it in movies, with
I'm not sure I understand your comment about how many meanings a word can have. If you look up "to" or "can" you'll find far more definitions than there are letters in the word!
I don't know what the first use this word was, but I can tell you which are common in the U.S.
1. This sounds very old fashioned. You see it in movies, with
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I've heard i used as definition #2 about the robust child - as GG says, always a male. "Boy, that kid's a real buster, isn't he?"
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In the U.K. -
1. as in "Watch it buster!", to a stranger, meaning 'be careful' is not much heard now.
2. - I have never heard this.
3. a person who breaks horses. Yes, such a person is often called a 'bronco-buster' in cowboy films.
4. a __ buster. From bombs developed during WWII, such as the tank buster and the (city) blockbuster, formerly 'block buster'. The term 'block
1. as in "Watch it buster!", to a stranger, meaning 'be careful' is not much heard now.
2. - I have never heard this.
3. a person who breaks horses. Yes, such a person is often called a 'bronco-buster' in cowboy films.
4. a __ buster. From bombs developed during WWII, such as the tank buster and the (city) blockbuster, formerly 'block buster'. The term 'block
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Actually, on Wikipedia it says that Buster Keaton got his nickname when Harry Houdini watched him fall down the stairs and said "that was a real buster," meaning a fall that would have been likely to hurt him (he wasn't hurt). So, maybe that use of the word dates from Buster Keaton? It seems a likely migration from "a fall that could've hurt you badly" to "someone who can take a bad fall and not
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