Buggerlugs

Question

In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the rear seat of his car, and saying "come on, buggerlugs".

That took me back: my parents used this as an affectionate nickname, but I hadn't heard it for 40 or more years.
I associate the usage with my father (born in Manitoba in 1917) rather than my mother (born in Lancashire in 1921), so I suspect it's left- rather than right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.)
Any knowledge of regional distribution?

Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 22 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey.news to harvey.van)

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
An elderly Scottish academic surprised me considerably by calling me this at a very early stage of our acquaintance. I had never heard it before, wasn't sure I'd heard it correctly and was more than a little anxious about what it meant, until I checked with others who told me I'd obviously made a hit with him as it was his normal term of affection. But I've never heard anyone else use it.

Laura
(emulate St. George for email)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
I heard it growing up on the right side of the pond. I've never come across it living on the left.

A wide screen just makes a bad film twice as bad.
?Samuel Goldwyn
Proudly killfiling Jai Maharaj since 2003
http://www.schmuckwithanunderwood.com/trolls.htm

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
Incidentally, I always assumed (rightly or wrongly) it had something to do with ears, as in "lug 'oles."

A wide screen just makes a bad film twice as bad.
?Samuel Goldwyn
Proudly killfiling Jai Maharaj since 2003
http://www.schmuckwithanunderwood.com/trolls.htm

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... Cheers, Harvey Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years; Southern England for the past 22 years. (for e-mail, change harvey.news to harvey.van)[/nq]
Heard it often when I was a kid (and later) in 1940s/1950s. NE England.

Regards,
LaurieF

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
My father (who was born and spent his childhood on the East coast of Canada, about a decade later than yours) used it similarly when talking to dogs and small children. I don't recall hearing it from anyone else. I can't imagine a decent woman of that era using it.

One web site has a verb form "buggerlug" (to waste time on trivial matters), and another lists "buggerlugs" as Australian slang:

http://www.csit.fsu.edu/~burkardt/fun/wordplay/lucky duck.html http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/4699/slang-atoe.htm

There are also some references to the "lugs" bit as meaning ears or grips.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" (Email Removed) Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... suspect it's left- rather than right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.)[/nq]
It's familiar to me in Right-pondia.
The dictionary of slang at
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/b.htm
defines
"buggerlugs Noun. A term of address, usually affectionate use. (Late 1800s)"
Its absence from OED1 might be due to its being colloquial and not, at the time, appearing in a citable text.
[nq:1]Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from a.e.u)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was described as extracting his four-year-old from the ... right-pondian. (That tends to be confirmed by its apparent omission in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
Well known in 40s / 50s Lancashire. For many years I thought it was 'bug-a-lugs', never having seen it written down, and had no idea what it might mean. Except that it was always an affectionate usage. Quite common among certain teachers at my Manchester school in the late 50s. If anything, I thought it had something to do with Bugs Bunny ... Partridge thinks it related to 'buggers' grips' - those tufts of hair on a man's cheekbones which would afford a manual purchase for an amorous partner.
I note OED has 'fustilugs' - 'a person ... of gross or corpulent habit' from fusty + lug.('lug' in the sense of heavy or slow) Perhaps from buggy-lugs or bugs-in-lugs?

John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ... in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
[nq:1]Well known in 40s / 50s Lancashire. For many years I thought it was 'bug-a-lugs', never having seen it written ... gross or corpulent habit' from fusty + lug.('lug' in the sense of heavy or slow) Perhaps from buggy-lugs or bugs-in-lugs?[/nq]
Among others, my father, Qld born and bred, used it constantly in an affectionate way. A friend's English born and bred (Oxford), though much travelled in an army career, father used it in the sense, IIRC, of "A.N.Other" or "whatisname".
Partridge Dict. Hist. Slang calls it "offensive", which I never perceived.

Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]In an interview in today's Guardian, the DJ/musician Norman Cook ... in both OED1 and Collins.) Any knowledge of regional distribution?[/nq]
[nq:1]Well known in 40s / 50s Lancashire. For many years I thought it was 'bug-a-lugs', never having seen it written ... gross or corpulent habit' from fusty + lug.('lug' in the sense of heavy or slow) Perhaps from buggy-lugs or bugs-in-lugs?[/nq]
I prefer "bug-a-lugs", since I don't think it's got anything to do with sodomy. A connection with insects and ears seems much more likely.

Adrian

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Well known in 40s / 50s Lancashire. For many years ... sense of heavy or slow) Perhaps from buggy-lugs or bugs-in-lugs?[/nq]
[nq:1]I prefer "bug-a-lugs", since I don't think it's got anything to do with sodomy. A connection with insects and ears seems much more likely.[/nq]
I think so, too, and will modify my spelling.
Mike.

Buggerlugs

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