bugger

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 11:49 AM 4/29/99 +1000, you wrote:
>"Bugger" is well known as a British-derived vulgarism in Australia.
>Toyota has just launched a new series of ads for a utility (pickup,
>in N. Americanese) with characters on the screen muttering "bugger"
>in admiration of the car's grunt. The ad has caused a major upraor
>in New Zealand; laconic Australians seem less bothered.
>
>The etymology of "bugger" (from Bulgarus, Mediaeval Latin =
>a member of the Orthodox Church) is one of the more extreme
>cases of religious-lexical intolerance.
>
>In South Africa "bugger" can be used to mean "guy": "he's a
>friendly little bugger", which would be offensive in most other
>Commonwealth Countries, is neutral there, but colloquial.
>
>Roly Sussex
>The University of Queensland
>

Come to think of it, a non-offensive use of "bugger" is common here too:
"He's a cute little bugger"--about a baby, for example.  But I suppose some
people might take offense, including some parents.  I was reminded too that
"bugger" with a /U/ refers to  nasal residue, but not in MY childhood lexicon.