Part 856

Buf*foon"er*y (&?;), n.; pl. Buffooneries (&?;). [F. bouffonnerie.] The arts and practices of a buffoon, as low jests, ridiculous pranks, vulgar tricks and postures.

Nor that it will ever constitute a wit to conclude a tart piece of buffoonery with a "What makes you blush?" Spectator.

Buf*foon"ish, a. Like a buffoon; consisting in low jests or gestures. Blair.

Buf*foon"ism (&?;), n. The practices of a buffoon; buffoonery.

Buf*foon"ly, a. Low; vulgar. [R.]

Apish tricks and buffoonly discourse. Goodman.

Buff"y (&?;), a. (Med.) Resembling, or characterized by, buff.

Buffy coat, the coagulated plasma of blood when the red corpuscles have so settled out that the coagulum appears nearly colorless. This is common in diseased conditions where the corpuscles run together more rapidly and in denser masses than usual. Huxley.

||Bu"fo (&?;), n. [L. bufo a toad.] (Zoöl.) A genus of Amphibia including various species of toads.

Bu"fon*ite (&?;), n. [L. bufo toad: cf. F. bufonite.] (Paleon.) An old name for a fossil consisting of the petrified teeth and palatal bones of fishes belonging to the family of Pycnodonts (thick teeth), whose remains occur in the oölite and chalk formations; toadstone; -- so named from a notion that it was originally formed in the head of a toad.

Bug (&?;), n. [OE. bugge, fr. W. bwg, bwgan, hobgoblin, scarecrow, bugbear. Cf. Bogey, Boggle.] 1. A bugbear; anything which terrifies. [Obs.]

Sir, spare your threats: The bug which you would fright me with I seek. Shak.

2. (Zoöl.) A general name applied to various insects belonging to the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc.

3. (Zoöl.) An insect of the genus Cimex, especially the bedbug (C. lectularius). See Bedbug.

4. (Zoöl.) One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug; potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle.

5. (Zoöl.) One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc.

According to present popular usage in England, and among housekeepers in America, bug, when not joined with some qualifying word, is used specifically for bedbug. As a general term it is used very loosely in America, and was formerly used still more loosely in England. "God's rare workmanship in the ant, the poorest bug that creeps." Rogers (Naaman). "This bug with gilded wings." Pope.

Bait bug. See under Bait. -- Bug word, swaggering or threatening language. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

{ Bug`a*boo" (&?;), Bug"bear` } (&?;), n. [See Bug.] Something frightful, as a specter; anything imaginary that causes needless fright; something used to excite needless fear; also, something really dangerous, used to frighten children, etc. "Bugaboos to fright ye." Lloyd.

But, to the world no bugbear is so great As want of figure and a small estate. Pope.

The bugaboo of the liberals is the church pray. S. B. Griffin.

The great bugaboo of the birds is the owl. J. Burroughs.

Syn. -- Hobgoblin; goblin; specter; ogre; scarecrow.

Bug"bane` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A perennial white-flowered herb of the order Ranunculaceæ and genus Cimiciguga; bugwort. There are several species.

Bug"bear` (&?;), n. Same as Bugaboo. -- a. Causing needless fright. Locke.

Bug"bear`, v. t. To alarm with idle phantoms.

Bug"fish` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) The menhaden. [U.S.]

Bug"ger (&?;), n. [F. bougre, fr. LL. Bulgarus, a Bulgarian, and also a heretic; because the inhabitants of Bulgaria were infected with heresy. Those guilty of the crime of buggery were called heretics, because in the eyes of their adversaries there was nothing more heinous than heresy, and it was therefore thought that the origin of such a vice could only be owing to heretics.] 1. One guilty of buggery or unnatural vice; a sodomite.