1. Home
2. Idioms
3. bung

bung

---

---

spare at the spigot and spill at the bung

To be frugal with trivial matters and reckless with more significant ones. The phrase describes the incongruity of turning off water at the spigot but leaving the bung, or stopper, off the reservoir. A: "Dad never lets us turn the heat up in the winter because it's too expensive, yet he ignores any problem around the house until it becomes a major repair." B: "I know, he always spares at the spigot and spills at the bung." I know you like to spare at the spigot and spill at the bung, but you would save so much money in the long run if you got a new car, instead of repairing all these nagging issues.

See also: and, bung, spare, spill

bung something in

to cram or bang something into something. He bunged the cork into the barrel. With a heavy blow, he bunged in the cork.

See also: bung

bung something up

to damage someone or something by blows. Don't let the watermelon roll around in the trunk of your car. You don't want to bung it up. Last time I put up the storm windows, I really bunged up my hands.

See also: bung, up

bunged up

battered or bruised. It used to be a nice table, but it got all bunged up. What happened to Jane? Her face was bunged up.

See also: bung, up