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bug
don't let the bedbugs bite
cliché Sleep soundly and well. Part of the sing-song rhyme "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite," usually said to a child. I'll see you in the morning, love. Don't let the bedbugs bite!
fire bug
Someone who enjoys setting fires; a pyromaniac or arsonist. I'm sure that fire bug Max set our shed on fire—it wouldn't be the first time he started a fire in the neighborhood.
be (as) snug as a bug in a rug
To be warm and cozy, typically while wrapped in blankets. My daughters are all snug as a bug in a rug watching a movie together. I hate the cold weather, so I look forward to bedtime—when I can be as snug as a bug in a rug.
bitten by the same bug
Fig. having the same need, desire, or obsession. Bob and I were both bitten by the same bug and ended up getting new cars at the same time.
bug off
1. Sl. to cease bothering [someone]. Hey, bug off! Your comments are annoying. I wish you would bug off!
2. Sl. Get out!; Go away! (Usually Bug off!) Bug off! Get out of my sight! Bug off and leave me alone!
bug out
1. Sl. to pack up and leave or retreat. Orders are to bug out by oh-nine-hundred. Okay, everybody, move it! We're bugging out.
2. Sl. to get out of somewhere fast. I gotta find a way to bug out of here without getting caught. Okay, the downpour has stopped. Let's bug out.
bug someone
to irritate someone; to bother someone. Go away! Stop bugging me! Leave me alone. Go bug someone else.
*crazy as a betsy bug
and *crazy as a peach-orchard boar; *crazy as a loonRur. acting as if insane. (*Also: as ~.) Tom: Susan says she's really the Queen of England. Bill: She's crazy as a betsy bug. Jill: David's a little eccentric, isn't he? Jane: Crazy as a loon, I'd say. What's wrong with Jim? He's acting as crazy as a peach-orchard boar.
*cute as a bug's ear
very cute. (*Also: as ~.) That little baby is cute as a bug's ear.
*snug as a bug in a rug
Cliché wrapped up tight, warm, and comfortable. (Playful; often used when addressing a child. *Also: as ~.) The bedroom in Aunt Jane's house was cold, but after she wrapped me up in four or five quilts and put a stocking cap on my head, I was snug as a bug in a rug and ready to go to sleep. Alan: Are you warm enough? Jane: Yes, I'm as snug as a bug in a rug.
bug out
(slang) 1. to become upset and excited I said I would do it, and then I started thinking and I was kind of bugging out about the whole thing.
2. to leave suddenly When it was time for him to show up for his army service, he bugged out for one of the islands.
be as snug as a bug in a rug
(humorous) to feel very comfortable and warm because you are in bed or under a cover You get in your nice warm bed with your teddy and you'll be as snug as a bug in a rug!
bug off
Also,
bugger off. Go away, as in
Bug off before I call the police. Both terms are often used as an imperative, as in the example, and the variant is heard more in Britain than in America. [
Slang; c. 1900] For a synonym, see
buzz off.
bug out
1. Bulge, as in The news will make her eyes bug out with astonishment. This expression was originally used literally for bulging eyes and later used more loosely as a sign of astonishment. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]
2. Leave, run out, as in This conference is a bore; I think I'll bug out. This usage originated as military slang for deserting and today is used more loosely. [Slang; c. 1950]
cute as a button
Also, cute as a bug's ear. Pretty or attractive in a dainty way, as in That baby is cute as a button. Cute originally was a shortening of acute, for "sharp-witted and clever," but in the early 1800s it also took on its current meaning. Other than that buttons and bug's hearing organs can be small, there is no good explanation for these similes.
put a bug in someone's ear
Give someone a hint about something, as in Janet put a bug in her husband's ear about getting the children a dog for Christmas. This idiom presumably likens the buzzing about of an insect to a hint, although the exact analogy is not clear. [c. 1900]
snug as a bug in a rug
Very cozy and comfortable, as in During the blizzard we had plenty of firewood and stayed in the cottage, snug as a bug in a rug . This expression, thought to allude to a moth larva happily feeding inside a rolled-up carpet, was first recorded in 1769 and probably owes its long life to the rhyme.
what's eating you
Also,
what's bugging you. What is annoying or bothering you? For example,
We've conceded just about every point, so what's eating you now? or
You're in a terrible mood-what's bugging you? The first slangy term, dating from the late 1800s, presumably uses
eat in the sense of "consume"; the colloquial variant, from about 1940, uses
bug in the sense of "annoy." Also see
what's with.
bug off
v. Slang To go away. Used chiefly as a command: Bug off! I'm trying to get some work done.
bug out
v.1. To grow large; bulge outward: Your eyes will bug out when you see my new car.
2. Slang To leave some place, usually in a hurry: They made it clear they didn't want me there, so I bugged out.
3. Slang To be frightened or confused: I'm afraid of the dark, so I was bugging out during the blackout.
4. Slang To cause someone to be frightened or confused: The thought of surgery bugs me out.
bug
1. n. a flaw in a computer program. As soon as I get the bugs out, I can run my program.
2. n. someone who is enthusiastic about something. (A combining form.) Mary is a camera bug.
3. n. an obsession or urge. I’ve got this bug about making money.
4. n. a spy device for listening to someone’s conversation. I found a little bug taped under my chair.
5. tv. to conceal a microphone somewhere. We will have to bug the bookie joint to get the goods on those guys.
6. tv. to annoy someone. This kind of thing really bugs me.
bug nut
n. a wire nut; a twist-on wire connector used to connect the ends of wires to complete a circuit. Charlie, hand me a couple bug nuts, will ya? Hold them together, twist, and screw on the bug nut, See?
Bug off!
exclam. Get out!; Go away! Bug off! Get out of here!
bug out
1. in. to pack up and retreat. (Military, Korean War.) Orders are to bug out by oh-nine-hundred.
2. in. to get out of somewhere fast. I gotta find a way to bug out of here without getting caught.
bug-fucker
1. n. a male with a small penis. (Rude and derogatory.) Tell the little bug-fucker he doesn’t get a discount, no matter what he’s got!
2. n. a small penis. (Usually objectionable.) Well, a bug-fucker is better than no fucker at all.
3. n. an insignificant and worthless male. (Rude and derogatory.) Listen to me, you stupid bug-fucker! Get your things and get outa here!
crank bugs
n. a drug-induced hallucination that insects are crawling under one’s skin. (Drugs.) There’s no such thing as crank bugs, so stop scratching them.
put a bug in (someone's) ear
Informal To impart useful information to (another) in a subtle, discreet way.