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busting up

 - 2 dictionary results

bust

2[buhst]
–verb (used without object)
1. Informal.
a. to burst.
b. to go bankrupt.
c. to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort: She was determined to make straight A's or bust.
2. Cards.
a. Draw Poker. to fail to make a flush or straight by one card.
b. Blackjack. to draw cards exceeding the count of 21.
–verb (used with object)
3. Informal.
a. to burst.
b. to bankrupt; ruin financially.
4. to demote, esp. in military rank or grade: He was busted from sergeant to private three times.
5. to tame; break: to bust a bronco.
6. Slang.
a. to place under arrest: The gang was busted and put away on narcotics charges.
b. to subject to a police raid: The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.
7. Informal.
a. to hit.
b. to break; fracture: She fell and busted her arm.
–noun
8. a failure.
9. Informal. a hit; sock; punch: He got a bust in the nose before he could put up his hands.
10. a sudden decline in the economic conditions of a country, marked by an extreme drop in stock-market prices, business activity, and employment; depression.
11. Slang.
a. an arrest.
b. a police raid.
12. Informal. a drinking spree; binge.
13. Cards.
a. a very weak hand.
b. Bridge. a hand lacking the potential to take a single trick.
–adjective
14. Informal. bankrupt; broke.
15. bust up, Informal.
a. to break up; separate: Sam and his wife busted up a year ago.
b. to damage or destroy: Soldiers got in a fight and busted up the bar.
16. bust ass, Slang: Vulgar. to fight with the fists; strike or thrash another.
17. bust on, Slang.
a. to attack physically; beat up.
b. to criticize or reprimand harshly.
c. to make fun of or laugh at; mock.
d. to inform on.
18. bust one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. to make an extreme effort; exert oneself.

Origin:
1755–65; var. of burst, by loss of r before s, as in ass 2 , bass 2 , passel, etc.


Historically bust is derived from a dialect pronunciation of burst and is related to it much as cuss is related to curse. Bust is both a noun and a verb and has a wide range of meanings for both uses. Many are slang or informal. A few, as “a decline in economic conditions, depression,” are standard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Financial Dictionary

bust

To cancel an order after it has been filled. In most cases, cancellation occurs only under unusual circumstances, such as an error or a misunderstanding. Also called break.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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