1842. C. Masson, Journal Balochistan, etc., III., 287. Many of the
Afghan tribes have a custom in wooing, similar to what in Wales is
known as bundling-up.
1868. W. H. Dixon, Spiritual Wives, vol. II., p. 31. An old custom,
which exists (I believe) in Wales as well as in parts of
Pennsylvania and New England, permits under the name of ‘bundling,’
certain free, but still innocent endearments to pass between lovers
who are engaged.
1871. H. R. Styles, Bundling; its Origin, Progress, and Decline in
America, title. [Contains also its history in England, Wales,
Holland, curious songs, etc.]
1878. C. Wake, Evol. Moral., I., 401. The custom of bundling ...
among Celtic peoples. [M.]
Bung, Bong, Boung, subs. (old cant.)—1. A purse. [One of the oldest
cant terms in the language, the origin of which is entirely unknown,
though, says Murray, ‘its resemblance to the O.E. pung, “a purse,” is
worth notice.’] Also called skin or poge (q.v.). A French thieves’ term
is la plotte.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 65. Boung, a purse. Ibid., p. 86.
1591. Greene, Second Part Conny-catching, in wks., vol. X., p. 96.
The Nip vseth his knife, and if he see a Boung lie faire, strikes
the stroke.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, p. 37 (H. Club’s Repr., 1874).
Bung is now vsed for a pocket, heretofore for a purse.
c. 1658. Cleveland, Cleivelandi Vindiciæ, p. 99 (ed. 1677). He is
in the Inquisition of the Purse an Authentick Gypsie, that nips
your Bung with a canting Ordinance.
1671. R. Head, English Rogue, pt. I., ch. v., p. 47. Boung, a
Purse.
1706. E. Coles, Eng. Dict. Bung, a purse.
2. (old.)—A pickpocket. Cf., Bung, sense 1. Bung-nipper (q.v.) was in
general usage later.
1598. Shakspeare, King Henry IV., ii., 4. Doll. Away, you cut-purse
rascal! you filthy bung, away! By this wine, I’ll thrust my knife
in your mouldy chaps, an’ you play the saucy cuttle with me.
1658. An Age for Apes, p. 232. My bung observing this, takes hold
of time, Just as this lord was drawing for a prime, And smoothly
rims his purse that lay beside him.
3. (common.)—A brewer; landlord of a public house, etc. [An allusion to
the bungs, or large corks used in the ‘mouths’ of beer barrels.]
1863. Cornhill Magazine (The Inner Life of a Man-of-War), Feb. From
time immemorial these gentlemen [master’s assistants] have had to
stand at the grog-butt and see the grog served out—an important
duty, the discharge of which has invested them, such is the
playfulness of naval humour, with the title of bungs.
1884. Graphic, Feb. 23, p. 170, col. 1. That Sir Wilfrid Lawson had
turned bung, and applied for a spirit licence.
Verb (pugilistic).—1. Generally bung up, i.e., to close or shut up the
eyes by means of a blow that causes a swelling. Formerly used of the
mouth, ears, etc., and in literary use, but now regarded as a
vulgarism. Cf. verb, sense 2.
1593. G. Harvey, Pierces Super., in wks. (Grosart) II., 128. That
will bung-up their mouthes with a Collyrium of all the stale iestes
in a country.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, in wks. V., 247. The waies beyond sea
were so bungd vp with your dayly oratours or Beadsmen and your
crutchet or crout-chant friers ... that a snaile coulde not wriggle
in her homes betwixt them.
1835. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 1 S., ch. xix. ‘I bunged up both eyes
for him.’
2. (old.)—To give; pass; hand over; drink; or to perform almost any
action. ‘Bung over the rag,’ hand over the money. Used by Beaumont and
Fletcher, and Shakspeare. Also, to deceive one by a lie, to Cram, which
see.
Bungay. Go to Bungay! phr. (general).—A euphemistic objurgation
equivalent to consignment to a region the climate of which is tropical
in character. For analogous phrases, see Go to hell.
Bung-Eyed, comp. ppl. adj. (common).—1. Drunk; fuddled; Screwed, which
see for synonyms. [Derivation uncertain: possibly from the Scotch
‘bung,’ a low word quoted by Jamieson as meaning tipsy or fuddled, with
perhaps an indirect allusion to the bunged or crooked distorted eye,
the result of a fight or squabble.—See sense 2.]
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, bk. III., ch. iii., p. 268. One
coarse-featured fellow, who was nearly bung-eyed over his beer (as
they call being drunk).
2. Cross-eyed; unable to see straight; ‘boss-eyed’ or ‘squinny-eyed’
(q.v.).
Bungfunger, verb (American).—To startle; to confuse. Compare with
bumbsquabbled. Also used as an adjective for ‘confounded.’
1835–40. Haliburton, The Clockmaker, p. 91 (ed. 1862). ‘Well,
father, I thought he’d a fainted too, he was so struck up all of a
heap; he was completely bung-fungered.’
Bung-Juice, subs. (thieves’).—Porter, or beer. [From bung, a stopper
for casks in which beer is kept, + juice. Cf., Cow-juice for milk,
etc.] For synonyms, see Drinks and Swipes.
Bung Knife or Boung Knife, subs. (old).—Considerable uncertainty exists
as to the nature or use of this implement. It has however been
conjectured that as boung was an old cant word for a purse, that boung
knife may therefore have been a knife kept in the purse or girdle, but
concerning this nothing definite can be stated.
1592. Greene, Quip for Upstart Courtier (Hart. Misc., V., 407). One
of them had on ... a skeine like a bruer’s boung-knife.
Bung Nipper or Boung Nipper, subs. (old).—A cut-purse; a sharper. [From
bung (q.v.), an old canting term for a purse, + nipper, a thief, i.e.,
one who nips or steals.] In French, to nip a bung is couper une queue
de rat, i.e., literally to cut off a rat’s tail; but for synonyms, see
Area-sneak and Thieves.
Bung Upwards, adv. phr. (old).—Said of a person lying on his face.
Bunk, subs. (common).—Hasty departure. Cf., Bunk, verb. [Of unknown
derivation.]
c. 1870. Broadside Ballad, ‘Peck’s Bad Boy.’
Of course you’re heard of Peck’s bad boy, that dreadful Yankee
lad,
Who’s bothered his poor parents so they’ve both gone raving
mad,
He put a pound of old Scotch snuff into poor Buddha’s trunk,
The keeper tried to catch him, but the bad boy did a bunk.
Verb (common).—1. To be off; to decamp. For synonyms, see Amputate.
c. 1872. Broadside Ballad, ‘Oh, we are a getting on.’
A stocking used a ‘bank’ to be,
In the good old days of old,
They didn’t run such risks as we
Do now of getting sold.
No sooner does a bank go queer,
You hear the same old strain,
There’s another bald-headed Manageer,
Has bunked across to Spain.
1885. Referee, Feb. 16, p. 7, col. 3.
It was just such a parcel, bless him! he’d clasped to his noble
breast,
And bunked with out o’ the building.
1887. Fun, 9 Nov., p. 201. ‘What is a vanishing point?’ said the
schoolmaster to little Billy. ‘The corner you bunks round when the
“slops” after yer,’ warbled the golden-haired child.