bogart

Meanings

Noun

Verb

  • To selfishly take or keep something; to hog; especially to hold a joint (marijuana) dangling between the lips instead of passing it on.
  • To get something by bullying, intimidation; be a tough guy.

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From actor Humphrey Bogart, from Dutch surname Bogart, from boomgaard, cognate to English boom ("piece of wood")/beam + garden.
  • Senses of selfishness and excess evolved from the original 1960s use meaning “keep a joint in the mouth instead of passing it on”, recalling the actor’s signature practice of keeping a cigarette dangling from his mouth even while speaking. Other senses of “bullying” or “tough guy” also originated in the 1960s and recall the actor’s various movie roles.
  • Another potential origin of the vernacular comes from Humphrey Bogart's role in the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) in which his character, Dobbs, becomes increasingly selfish with the gold mine that he shares with his two partners.

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.