booger

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbʊɡɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbʊɡə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊɡə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

Alteration of the English dialectal words buggard (bug + -ard), boggart or boggard. Compare bogey. Compare also Alemannic German Naaseböög (“booger”).

Noun

booger (plural boogers)

1. (US, Canada, Philippines, slang) A piece of solid or semisolid mucus in or removed from a nostril.
   • 1948, Publication of the American Dialect Society, page 16:

     Mama says you mustn't pick boogers out of your nose with your fingers; you must use your handkerchief.

   • 2006, Strapping Young Lad, “Far Beyond Metal”, in The New Black:

     Now in the halls of the necro lord / Flash of fear when he sees my sword / Raped his woman, smoked his bone / Leave a booger underneath his throne!

2. (US, slang) Something suggestive of this material.
   • 2017 July 7, Ignatiy Vishnevetskyg, “The ambitious War For The Planet Of The Apes ends up surrendering to formula”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[1]:

     The latter is discovered by Caesar, Maurice, and their compadres living in a crumbling, snow-packed ski lodge, its antler chandeliers hung with boogers of ice in a mockery of humanity’s pretensions of alpha-predator-hood.

3. (US, slang) A thing; especially a problematic or difficult thing.

Synonyms

• (mucus): bogey, snot, bogie (UK)
• (thing): bugger

Derived terms

• boogerball
• eye booger
• bed booger
• booger brain
• booger sugar
• booger up

Translations

a piece of solid or semi-solid mucus

• Adyghe: пэцуй (pɛcʷuj)
• Arabic: وَسَخ اَلْأَنْف m (wasaḵ al-ʔanf)

  Egyptian Arabic: كُنانة f (kunana)

• Bashkir: маңҡа (mañqa)
• Belarusian: казя́ўка f (kazjáŭka)
• Bikol Central:

  Bikol Legazpi: luknog (bcl)

  Bikol Naga: tungay (bcl)

• Catalan: burilla (ca) f
• Cebuano: kugmo
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鼻屎 (zh) (bíshǐ), 乾鼻涕／干鼻涕 (gān bítì), 鼻牛兒／鼻牛儿 (zh) (bíniúr) ("nose cow"),, 鼻牛 (bíniú)

• Classical Nahuatl: yacacuitlatl
• Czech: holub (cs) m, šušeň (cs) m
• Danish: bussemand (da) c
• Dutch: neuskeutel (nl) m
• Estonian: konn (et), koll
• Finnish: räkäpaakku, räkäklimppi
• French: crotte de nez (fr) f, mucus (fr) m
• Galician: moco m
• Georgian: წვინტლი (c̣vinṭli), ჟღვინტლი (žɣvinṭli), ჟღვინტი (žɣvinṭi), ბოტოტი (boṭoṭi), ცინგლი (cingli), ჟღვლინტი (žɣvlinṭi)
• German: Popel (de) m, Rotz (de) m, Schleim (de) m
• Hungarian: fika (hu), takony (hu)
• Ilocano: duggong
• Indonesian: upil (id)
• Italian: caccola (it) f
• Japanese: 鼻糞 (ja) (はなくそ, hanakuso)
• Korean: 코딱지 (kottakji)
• Lao: ຂີ້ດັງ (khī dang)
• Malay: tahi hidung
• Norwegian: buse m
• Polish: koza (pl) f (colloquial), smark (pl) m, glut (pl) (colloquial), gil (pl) (colloquial), babol (pl) m (colloquial)
• Portuguese: macaco (pt) m, catota (pt) f, meleca (pt) f (Brazil), monco (pt) m (Brazil), tatu (pt) m (Brazil) (colloquial, South Brazil)
• Punjabi: ਜਿੱਜੀ f (jijjī)
• Romanian: muc (ro)
• Russian: козя́вка (ru) f (kozjávka), козю́ля (ru) f (kozjúlja)
• Spanish: pelotilla de la nariz f, moco (es) m
• Swedish: snorkråka (sv) c, kråka (sv) c, snorbuse (sv) c, buse (sv) c
• Tagalog: kulangot
• Thai: ขี้มูก (kîi-mûuk)
• Turkish: sümük (tr)
• Ukrainian: коза́ (uk) (kozá) (she-goat)
• Venetian: pétoła f

Etymology 2

From boogie board +‎ -er.

Noun

booger (plural boogers)

1. (surfing, slang, mildly derogatory) A bodyboarder.

   Watch the local boogers charge it!

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

booger (plural boogers)

1. A performer of the booger dance.

Anagrams

• bog ore, goober