Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter B - Page 90
Buff (n.) The bare skin; as, to strip to the buff. [Colloq.]
To be in buff is equivalent to being naked. -- Wright.
Buff (a.) Made of buff leather. -- Goldsmith.
Buff (a.) Of the color of buff.
Buff coat, A close, military outer garment, with short sleeves, and laced tightly over the chest, made of buffalo skin, or other thick and elastic material, worn by soldiers in the 17th century as a defensive covering.
Buff jerkin, Originally, a leather waistcoat; afterward, one of cloth of a buff color. [Obs.] -- Nares.
Buff stick (Mech.), A strip of wood covered with buff leather, used in polishing.
Buff (v. t.) （用暗黃皮革等）擦亮，擦淨 [（+up）]；使光軟 To polish with a buff. See Buff, n., 5.
Buff (v. t.) To strike. [Obs.] -- B. Jonson.
Buff (n.) A buffet; a blow; -- obsolete except in the phrase "Blindman's buff." See blindman's buff.
Nathless so sore a buff to him it lent That made him reel. -- Spenser.
Buff (a.) Firm; sturdy.
And for the good old cause stood buff, 'Gainst many a bitter kick and cuff. -- Hudibras.
Buff (a.) Of the yellowish-beige color of buff leather.
Buff (n.) An ardent follower and admirer [syn: fan, buff, devotee, lover].
Buff (n.) A soft thick undyed leather from the skins of e.g. buffalo or Oxen.
Buff (n.) Bare skin; naked; "swimming in the buff."
Buff (n.) A medium to dark tan color [syn: yellowish brown, raw sienna, buff, caramel, caramel brown].
Buff (n.) An implement consisting of soft material mounted on a block; used for polishing (as in manicuring) [syn: buff, buffer].
Buff (v.) Strike, beat repeatedly; "The wind buffeted him" [syn: buffet, buff].
Buff (v.) Polish and make shiny; "buff the wooden floors"; "buff my shoes" [syn: buff, burnish, furbish].
Buffa (n. fem.) The comic actress in an opera.
Buffa (a.) Comic, farcical.
Buffaloes (n. pl. ) of Buffalo.
Buffalo (n.) (Zool.) 水牛 A species of the genus Bos or Bubalus ({Bubalus bubalus), originally from India, but now found in most of the warmer countries of the eastern continent. It is larger and less docile than the common ox, and is fond of marshy places and rivers.
Buffalo (n.) (Zool.) A very large and savage species of the same genus ({Syncerus Caffer syn. Bubalus Caffer) found in South Africa; -- called also Cape buffalo.
Buffalo (n.) (Zool.) Any species of wild ox.
Buffalo (n.) (Zool.) The bison of North America.
Buffalo (n.) A buffalo robe. See Buffalo robe, below.
Buffalo (n.) (Zool.) The buffalo fish. See Buffalo fish, below.
Buffalo berry (Bot.), A shrub of the Upper Missouri ({Sherherdia argentea) with acid edible red berries.
Buffalo bird (Zool.), An African bird of the genus Buphaga, of two species. These birds perch upon buffaloes and cattle, in search of parasites.
Buffalo bug, The carpet beetle. See under Carpet.
Buffalo chips, Dry dung of the buffalo, or bison, used for fuel. [U.S.]
Buffalo clover (Bot.), A kind of clover ({Trifolium reflexum and Trifoliumsoloniferum) found in the ancient grazing grounds of the American bison.
Buffalo cod (Zool.), A large, edible, marine fish ({Ophiodon elongatus) of the northern Pacific coast; -- called also blue cod, and cultus cod.
Buffalo fly, or Buffalo gnat (Zool.), A small dipterous insect of the genus Simulium, allied to the black fly of the North. It is often extremely abundant in the lower part of the Mississippi valley and does great injury to domestic animals, often killing large numbers of cattle and horses. In Europe the Columbatz fly is a species with similar habits.
Buffalo grass (Bot.), A species of short, sweet grass ({Buchlo["e] dactyloides), from two to four inches high, covering the prairies on which the buffaloes, or bisons, feed. [U.S.]
Buffalo nut (Bot.), The oily and drupelike fruit of an American shrub ({Pyrularia oleifera); also, the shrub itself; oilnut.
Buffalo robe, The skin of the bison of North America, prepared with the hair on; -- much used as a lap robe in sleighs. buffalofish
Buffalo (n.) Large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains [syn: American bison, American buffalo, buffalo, Bison bison].
Buffalo (n.) A city on Lake Erie in western New York (near Niagara Falls).
Buffalo (n.) Meat from an American bison.
Buffalo (n.) Any of several Old World animals resembling oxen including, e.g., water buffalo; Cape buffalo [syn: Old World buffalo, buffalo].
Buffalo (v.) Intimidate or overawe.
Buffalo -- U.S. County in Nebraska
Population (2000): 42259
Housing Units (2000): 16830
Land area (2000): 967.994027 sq. miles (2507.092913 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 7.276084 sq. miles (18.844970 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 975.270111 sq. miles (2525.937883 sq. km)
Located within: Nebraska (NE), FIPS 31
Location: 40.790062 N, 99.069182 W
Headwords:
Buffalo
Buffalo, NE
Buffalo County
Buffalo County, NE
Buffalo -- U.S. County in South Dakota
Population (2000): 2032
Housing Units (2000): 602
Land area (2000): 470.593646 sq. miles (1218.831895 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 16.834714 sq. miles (43.601707 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 487.428360 sq. miles (1262.433602 sq. km)
Located within: South Dakota (SD), FIPS 46
Location: 44.047466 N, 99.271746 W
Headwords:
Buffalo
Buffalo, SD
Buffalo County
Buffalo County, SD
Buffalo -- U.S. County in Wisconsin
Population (2000): 13804
Housing Units (2000): 6098
Land area (2000): 684.472690 sq. miles (1772.776054 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 25.111180 sq. miles (65.037656 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 709.583870 sq. miles (1837.813710 sq. km)
Located within: Wisconsin (WI), FIPS 55
Location: 44.376620 N, 91.753095 W
Headwords:
Buffalo
Buffalo, WI
Buffalo County
Buffalo County, WI
Buffalo, WY -- U.S. city in Wyoming
Population (2000): 3900
Housing Units (2000): 1842
Land area (2000): 3.529980 sq. miles (9.142606 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 3.529980 sq. miles (9.142606 sq. km)
FIPS code: 10685
Located within: Wyoming (WY), FIPS 56
Location: 44.347479 N, 106.701222 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 82834
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, WY
Buffalo
Buffalo, NY -- U.S. city in New York
Population (2000): 292648
Housing Units (2000): 145574
Land area (2000): 40.612899 sq. miles (105.186922 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 11.900424 sq. miles (30.821956 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 52.513323 sq. miles (136.008878 sq. km)
FIPS code: 11000
Located within: New York (NY), FIPS 36
Location: 42.904657 N, 78.849405 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 14201 14202 14203 14204 14206 14207
14208 14209 14210 14211 14212 14213
14214 14215 14216 14220 14222 14223
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, NY
Buffalo
Buffalo, ND -- U.S. city in North Dakota
Population (2000): 209
Housing Units (2000): 105
Land area (2000): 0.247011 sq. miles (0.639755 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.247011 sq. miles (0.639755 sq. km)
FIPS code: 10420
Located within: North Dakota (ND), FIPS 38
Location: 46.920341 N, 97.550787 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 58011
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, ND
Buffalo
Buffalo, IL -- U.S. village in Illinois
Population (2000): 491
Housing Units (2000): 208
Land area (2000): 0.368562 sq. miles (0.954570 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.368562 sq. miles (0.954570 sq. km)
FIPS code: 09434
Located within: Illinois (IL), FIPS 17
Location: 39.851779 N, 89.409044 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, IL
Buffalo
Buffalo, OK -- U.S. town in Oklahoma
Population (2000): 1200
Housing Units (2000): 599
Land area (2000): 0.798702 sq. miles (2.068629 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.798702 sq. miles (2.068629 sq. km)
FIPS code: 09850
Located within: Oklahoma (OK), FIPS 40
Location: 36.836861 N, 99.628934 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, OK
Buffalo
Buffalo, IN -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Indiana
Population (2000): 672
Housing Units (2000): 585
Land area (2000): 2.385245 sq. miles (6.177756 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.164032 sq. miles (0.424841 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 2.549277 sq. miles (6.602597 sq. km)
FIPS code: 08992
Located within: Indiana (IN), FIPS 18
Location: 40.885501 N, 86.740858 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, IN
Buffalo
Buffalo, IA -- U.S. city in Iowa
Population (2000): 1321
Housing Units (2000): 516
Land area (2000): 6.017258 sq. miles (15.584627 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.033269 sq. miles (0.086166 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 6.050527 sq. miles (15.670793 sq. km)
FIPS code: 09235
Located within: Iowa (IA), FIPS 19
Location: 41.459231 N, 90.721244 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, IA
Buffalo
Buffalo, KS -- U.S. city in Kansas
Population (2000): 284
Housing Units (2000): 133
Land area (2000): 0.346049 sq. miles (0.896263 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.346049 sq. miles (0.896263 sq. km)
FIPS code: 09150
Located within: Kansas (KS), FIPS 20
Location: 37.709569 N, 95.696967 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 66717
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, KS
Buffalo
Buffalo, SC -- U.S. Census Designated Place in South Carolina
Population (2000): 1426
Housing Units (2000): 659
Land area (2000): 4.014434 sq. miles (10.397337 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 4.014434 sq. miles (10.397337 sq. km)
FIPS code: 10090
Located within: South Carolina (SC), FIPS 45
Location: 34.723115 N, 81.677454 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 29321
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, SC
Buffalo
Buffalo, SD -- U.S. town in South Dakota
Population (2000): 380
Housing Units (2000): 243
Land area (2000): 0.547879 sq. miles (1.419000 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.547879 sq. miles (1.419000 sq. km)
FIPS code: 08140
Located within: South Dakota (SD), FIPS 46
Location: 45.584845 N, 103.545001 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 57720
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, SD
Buffalo
Buffalo, TX -- U.S. city in Texas
Population (2000): 1804
Housing Units (2000): 815
Land area (2000): 4.020092 sq. miles (10.411989 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.018304 sq. miles (0.047408 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 4.038396 sq. miles (10.459397 sq. km)
FIPS code: 11116
Located within: Texas (TX), FIPS 48
Location: 31.461402 N, 96.063024 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, TX
Buffalo
Buffalo, MN -- U.S. city in Minnesota
Population (2000): 10097
Housing Units (2000): 3871
Land area (2000): 6.025051 sq. miles (15.604811 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 1.769287 sq. miles (4.582431 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 7.794338 sq. miles (20.187242 sq. km)
FIPS code: 08452
Located within: Minnesota (MN), FIPS 27
Location: 45.183227 N, 93.865463 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 55313
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, MN
Buffalo
Buffalo, WV -- U.S. town in West Virginia
Population (2000): 1171
Housing Units (2000): 559
Land area (2000): 1.413650 sq. miles (3.661336 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.237874 sq. miles (0.616090 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 1.651524 sq. miles (4.277426 sq. km)
FIPS code: 11284
Located within: West Virginia (WV), FIPS 54
Location: 38.616994 N, 81.979938 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 25033
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, WV
Buffalo
Buffalo, MO -- U.S. city in Missouri
Population (2000): 2781
Housing Units (2000): 1367
Land area (2000): 2.198167 sq. miles (5.693226 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 2.198167 sq. miles (5.693226 sq. km)
FIPS code: 09514
Located within: Missouri (MO), FIPS 29
Location: 37.643582 N, 93.094529 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 65622
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buffalo, MO
Buffalo
Buffel duck () A small duck ({Charitonetta albeola); the spirit duck, or butterball. The head of the male is covered with numerous elongated feathers, and thus appears large. Called also bufflehead.
Buffer (n.) (Mech.) An elastic apparatus or fender, for deadening the jar caused by the collision of bodies; as, a buffer at the end of a railroad car.
Buffer (n.) (Mech.) A pad or cushion forming the end of a fender, which receives the blow; -- sometimes called buffing apparatus.
Buffer (n.) One who polishes with a buff.
Buffer (n.) A wheel for buffing; a buff.
Buffer (n.) A good-humored, slow-witted fellow; -- usually said of an elderly man. [Colloq.] -- Dickens.
Buffer (n.) (Chem.) A substance or mixture of substances which can absorb or neutralize a certain quantity of acid or base and thus keep the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution (as measured by pH) relatively stable. Sometimes the term is used in a medical context to mean antacid.
Buffer (n.) (Computers) A data storage device or portion of memory used to temporarily store input or output data until the receiving device is ready to process it.
Buffer (n.) Any object or person that shields another object or person from harm, shock, or annoyance; as, the President's staff is his buffer from constant interruptions of his work.
Buffer (v. t.) (Chem.) To add a buffer[5] to (a solution), so as to reduce unwanted fluctuation of acidity.
Buffer (n.) (Chemistry) An ionic compound that resists changes in its pH.
Buffer (n.) A neutral zone between two rival powers that is created in order to diminish the danger of conflict [syn: buffer zone, buffer].
Buffer (n.) An inclined metal frame at the front of a locomotive to clear the track [syn: fender, buffer, cowcatcher, pilot].
Buffer (n.) (Computer science) A part of RAM used for temporary storage of data that is waiting to be sent to a device; used to compensate for differences in the rate of flow of data between components of a computer system [syn: buffer, buffer storage, buffer store].
Buffer (n.) A power tool used to buff surfaces [syn: buffer, polisher].
Buffer (n.) A cushion-like device that reduces shock due to an impact [syn: buffer, fender].
Buffer (n.) An implement consisting of soft material mounted on a block; used for polishing (as in manicuring) [syn: buff, buffer].
Buffer (v.) Add a buffer (a solution); "buffered saline solution for the eyes."
Buffer (v.) Protect from impact; "cushion the blow" [syn: cushion, buffer, soften].
Buffer, () An area of memory used for storing messages. Typically, a buffer will have other attributes such as an input pointer (where new data will be written into the buffer), and output pointer (where the next item will be read from) and/ or a count of the space used or free. Buffers are used to decouple processes so that the reader and writer may operate at different speeds or on different sized blocks of data.
There are many different algorithms for using buffers, e.g. first-in first-out (FIFO or shelf), last-in first-out (LIFO or stack), double buffering (allowing one buffer to be read while the other is being written), cyclic buffer (reading or writing past the end wraps around to the beginning).
Buffer, () An electronic device to provide compatibility between two signals, e.g. changing voltage levels or current capability.
Bufferhead (n.) The head of a buffer, which recieves the concussion, in railroad carriages.
Buffet (n.) A cupboard or set of shelves, either movable or fixed at one side of a room, for the display of plate, china, etc., a sideboard.
Buffet (n.) A counter for refreshments; a restaurant at a railroad station, or place of public gathering.
Buffet (v. i.) A blow with the hand; a slap on the face; a cuff.
Buffet (v. i.) A blow from any source, or that which affects like a blow, as the violence of winds or waves; a stroke; an adverse action; an affliction; a trial; adversity.
Buffet (v. i.) A small stool; a stool for a buffet or counter.
Buffeted (imp. & p. p.) of Buffet.
Buffeting (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Buffet.
Buffet (v. t.) To strike with the hand or fist; to box; to beat; to cuff; to slap.
Buffet (v. t.) To affect as with blows; to strike repeatedly; to strive with or contend against; as, to buffet the billows.
Buffet (v. t.) To deaden the sound of (bells) by muffling the clapper.
Buffet (v. i.) To exercise or play at boxing; to strike; to smite; to strive; to contend.
Buffet (v. i.) To make one's way by blows or struggling.
Buffeter (n.) One who buffets; a boxer.
Buffeting (n.) A striking with the hand.
Buffeting (n.) A succession of blows; continued violence, as of winds or waves; afflictions; adversity.
Buffin (n.) A sort of coarse stuff; as, buffin gowns.
Buffing apparatus () See Buffer, 1.
Buffle (n.) The buffalo.
Buffle (v. i.) To puzzle; to be at a loss.
Bufflehead (n.) One who has a large head; a heavy, stupid fellow.
Bufflehead (n.) The buffel duck. See Buffel duck.
Buffle-headed (a.) Having a large head, like a buffalo; dull; stupid; blundering.
Buffo (n.masc.) The comic actor in an opera.
Buffoon (n.) A man who makes a practice of amusing others by low tricks, antic gestures, etc.; a droll; a mimic; a harlequin; a clown; a merry-andrew.
Buffoon (a.) Characteristic of, or like, a buffoon.
Buffoon (v. i.) To act the part of a buffoon.
Buffoon (v. t.) To treat with buffoonery.
Buffooneries (n. pl. ) of Buffoonery.
Buffoonery (n.) The arts and practices of a buffoon, as low jests, ridiculous pranks, vulgar tricks and postures.
Buffoonish (a.) Like a buffoon; consisting in low jests or gestures.
Buffoonism (n.) The practices of a buffoon; buffoonery.
Buffoonly (a.) Low; vulgar.
Buffy (a.) Resembling, or characterized by, buff.
Bufo (n.) A genus of Amphibia including various species of toads.
Bufonite (n.) 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 oolite and chalk formations; toadstone; -- so named from a notion that it was originally formed in the head of a toad.
Bug (n.) A bugbear; anything which terrifies. [Obs.]
Sir, spare your threats: The bug which you would fright me with I seek. -- Shak.
Bug (n.) (Zool.) A general name applied to various insects belonging to the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc.
Bug (n.) (Zool.) An insect of the genus Cimex, especially the bedbug ({Cimex lectularius). See Bedbug.
Bug (n.) (Zool.) One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug; potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle.
Bug (n.) (Zool.) One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc.
Note: According to popular usage in England and among housekeepers in America around 1900, bug, when not joined with some qualifying word, was used specifically for bedbug. As a general term it is now used very loosely in America as a colloquial term to mean any small crawling thing, such as an insect or arachnid, 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.
Bug (n.) (Computers) An error in the coding of a computer program, especially one causing the program to malfunction or fail. See, for example, year 2000 bug. "That's not a bug, it's a feature!"
Bug (n.) Any unexpected defect or flaw, such as in a machine or a plan.
Bug (n.) A hidden electronic listening device, used to hear or record conversations surreptitiously.
Bug (n.) An infectious microorganism; a germ[4]. [Colloq.]
Bug (n.) An undiagnosed illness, usually mild, believed to be caused by an infectious organism. [Colloq.]
Note: In some communities in the 1990's, the incidence of AIDS is high and AIDS is referred to colloquially as "the bug".
Bug (n.) An enthusiast; -- used mostly in combination, as a camera bug. [Colloq.]
Bait bug. See under Bait.
Bug word, Swaggering or threatening language. [Obs.] -- Beau. & Fl.
Bug (v. t.) To annoy; to bother or pester. Bugaboo
Bug (n.)
General term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate.
Bug (n.)
A fault or defect in a computer program, system, or machine [syn: bug,
glitch].
Bug (n.) A small hidden microphone; for listening secretly
Bug (n.) Insects with sucking mouthparts and forewings thickened and leathery at the base; usually show incomplete metamorphosis [syn: hemipterous insect, bug, hemipteran, hemipteron].
Bug (n.) A minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use [syn: microbe, bug, germ].
Bug (v.) Annoy persistently; "The children teased the boy because of his stammer" [syn: tease, badger, pester, bug, beleaguer].
Bug (v.) Tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information; "The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy"; "Is this hotel room bugged?" [syn: wiretap, tap, intercept, bug].
Bug (n.) An unwanted and unintended property of a program or piece of hardware, esp. one that causes it to malfunction. Antonym of feature. Examples: ?There's a bug in the editor: it writes things out backwards.? ?The system crashed because of a hardware bug.? ?Fred is a winner, but he has a few bugs? (i.e., Fred is a good guy, but he has a few personality problems).
Historical note: Admiral Grace Hopper (an early computing pioneer better known for inventing COBOL) liked to tell a story in which a technician solved a glitch in the Harvard Mark II machine by pulling an actual insect out from between the contacts of one of its relays, and she subsequently promulgated bug in its hackish sense as a joke about the incident (though, as she was careful to admit, she was not there when it happened). For many years the logbook associated with the incident and the actual bug in question (a moth) sat in a display case at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). The entire story, with a picture of the logbook and the moth taped into it, is recorded in the Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1981), pp. 285--286.
The text of the log entry (from September 9, 1947), reads ?1545 Relay #70 Panel F (moth) in relay. First actual case of bug being found?. This wording establishes that the term was already in use at the time in its current specific sense ? and Hopper herself reports that the term bug was regularly applied to problems in radar electronics during WWII.
[bugpic-col]
The ?original bug? (the caption date is incorrect)
Indeed, the use of bug to mean an industrial defect was already established in Thomas Edison's time, and a more specific and rather modern use can be found in an electrical handbook from 1896 (Hawkin's New Catechism of Electricity, Theo. Audel & Co.) which says: ?The term ?bug? is used to a limited extent to designate any fault or trouble in the connections or working of electric apparatus.? It further notes that the term is ?said to have originated in quadruplex telegraphy and have been transferred to all electric apparatus.?
The latter observation may explain a common folk etymology of the term; that it came from telephone company usage, in which ?bugs in a telephone cable? were blamed for noisy lines. Though this derivation seems to be mistaken, it may well be a distorted memory of a joke first current among telegraph operators more than a century ago!
Or perhaps not a joke. Historians of the field inform us that the term ?bug ? was regularly used in the early days of telegraphy to refer to a variety of semi-automatic telegraphy keyers that would send a string of dots if you held them down. In fact, the Vibroplex keyers (which were among the most common of this type) even had a graphic of a beetle on them (and still do)! While the ability to send repeated dots automatically was very useful for professional morse code operators, these were also significantly trickier to use than the older manual keyers, and it could take some practice to ensure one didn't introduce extraneous dots into the code by holding the key down a fraction too long. In the hands of an inexperienced operator, a Vibroplex ?bug? on the line could mean that a lot of garbled Morse would soon be coming your way.
Further, the term ?bug? has long been used among radio technicians to describe a device that converts electromagnetic field variations into acoustic signals. It is used to trace radio interference and look for dangerous radio emissions. Radio community usage derives from the roach-like shape of the first versions used by 19th century physicists. The first versions consisted of a coil of wire (roach body), with the two wire ends sticking out and bent back to nearly touch forming a spark gap (roach antennae). The bug is to the radio technician what the stethoscope is to the stereotypical medical doctor. This sense is almost certainly ancestral to modern use of ?bug? for a covert monitoring device, but may also have contributed to the use of ?bug? for the effects of radio interference itself.
Actually, use of bug in the general sense of a disruptive event goes back to Shakespeare! (Henry VI, part III - Act V, Scene II: King Edward: ?So, lie thou there. Die thou; and die our fear; For Warwick was a bug that fear'd us all.?) In the first edition of Samuel Johnson's dictionary one meaning of bug is ?A frightful object; a walking spectre?; this is traced to ?bugbear?, a Welsh term for a variety of mythological monster which (to complete the circle) has recently been reintroduced into the popular lexicon through fantasy role-playing games.
In any case, in jargon the word almost never refers to insects. Here is a plausible conversation that never actually happened: ?There is a bug in this ant farm!? ?What do you mean? I don't see any ants in it.? ?That's the bug.?
A careful discussion of the etymological issues can be found in a paper by Fred R. Shapiro, 1987, ?Entomology of the Computer Bug: History and Folklore?, American Speech 62(4):376-378.
[There has been a widespread myth that the original bug was moved to the Smithsonian, and an earlier version of this entry so asserted. A correspondent who thought to check discovered that the bug was not there. While investigating this in late 1990, your editor discovered that the NSWC still had the bug, but had unsuccessfully tried to get the Smithsonian to accept it ? and that the present curator of their History of American Technology Museum didn't know this and agreed that it would make a worthwhile exhibit. It was moved to the Smithsonian in mid-1991, but due to space and money constraints was not actually exhibited for years afterwards. Thus, the process of investigating the original-computer-bug bug fixed it in an entirely unexpected way, by making the myth true! ?ESR]
[73-07-29]
It helps to remember that this dates from 1973.
bug
bugs
defect
snag
An unwanted and unintended property of a program or piece of hardware, especially one that causes it to malfunction. Antonym of feature. E.g. "There's a bug in the editor: it writes things out backward." The identification and removal of bugs in a program is called "{debugging".
Admiral Grace Hopper (an early computing pioneer better known for inventing COBOL) liked to tell a story in which a technician solved a glitch in the Harvard Mark II machine by pulling an actual insect out from between the contacts of one of its relays, and she subsequently promulgated bug in its hackish sense as a joke about the incident (though, as she was careful to admit, she was not there when it happened). For many years the logbook associated with the incident and the actual bug in question (a moth) sat in a display case at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). The entire story, with a picture of the logbook and the moth taped into it, is recorded in the "Annals of the History of Computing", Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1981), pp. 285--286.
The text of the log entry (from September 9, 1947), reads "1545 Relay #70 Panel F (moth) in relay. First actual case of bug being found". This wording establishes that the term was already in use at the time in its current specific sense - and Hopper herself reports that the term "bug" was regularly applied to problems in radar electronics during WWII.
Indeed, the use of "bug" to mean an industrial defect was already established in Thomas Edison's time, and a more specific and rather modern use can be found in an electrical handbook from 1896 ("Hawkin's New Catechism of Electricity", Theo. Audel & Co.) which says: "The term "bug" is used to a limited extent to designate any fault or trouble in the connections or working of electric apparatus." It further notes that the term is "said to have originated in quadruplex telegraphy and have been transferred to all electric apparatus."
The latter observation may explain a common folk etymology of the term; that it came from telephone company usage, in which "bugs in a telephone cable" were blamed for noisy lines. Though this derivation seems to be mistaken, it may well be a distorted memory of a joke first current among *telegraph* operators more than a century ago!
Actually, use of "bug" in the general sense of a disruptive event goes back to Shakespeare! In the first edition of Samuel Johnson's dictionary one meaning of "bug" is "A frightful object; a walking spectre"; this is traced to "bugbear", a Welsh term for a variety of mythological monster which (to complete the circle) has recently been reintroduced into the popular lexicon through fantasy role-playing games.
In any case, in jargon the word almost never refers to insects. Here is a plausible conversation that never actually happened:
"There is a bug in this ant farm!"
"What do you mean? I don't see any ants in it."
"That's the bug."
[There has been a widespread myth that the original bug was moved to the Smithsonian, and an earlier version of this entry so asserted. A correspondent who thought to check discovered that the bug was not there. While investigating this in late 1990, your editor discovered that the NSWC still had the bug, but had unsuccessfully tried to get the Smithsonian to accept it - and that the present curator of their History of American Technology Museum didn't know this and agreed that it would make a worthwhile exhibit. It was moved to the Smithsonian in mid-1991, but due to space and money constraints has not yet been exhibited. Thus, the process of investigating the original-computer-bug bug fixed it in an entirely unexpected way, by making the myth true! - ESR]
[{Jargon File]
(1999-06-29)
Bugaboo (n.) Alt. of Bugbear.
Bugbear (n.) 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.
Bugbear (n.) A source of concern; as, the old bugaboo of inflation still bothers them.
Syn: Hobgoblin; goblin; specter; ogre; scarecrow; bogeyman; boogeyman; booger.
Bugaboo (n.) An imaginary monster used to frighten children [syn: bogeyman, bugbear, bugaboo, boogeyman, booger].
Bugaboo (n.) A source of concern; "the old bugaboo of inflation still bothers them."
Bugbane (n.) (Bot.) A perennial white-flowered herb of the order Ranunculaceae and genus Cimiciguga; bugwort. There are several species.
Bugbane (n.) North American plant having large leaves and yellowish green flowers growing in racemes; yields a toxic alkaloid used medicinally [syn: white hellebore, American hellebore, Indian poke, bugbane, Veratrum viride].
Bugbane (n.) A plant of the genus Cimicifuga having flowers in long racemes or panicles reported to be distasteful to insects.
Bugbear (n.) Same as Bugaboo.
Bugbear (a.) Causing needless fright. -- Locke.
Bugbear (v. t.) To alarm with idle phantoms.
Bugaboo, Bugbear, (n.) [See Bug.] Something frightful, as a specter; anything imaginary that causes needless fright; something used to excite needless fear; also, something really dangerous, or an imaginary monster, 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.
Bugaboo, Bugbear, (n.) A source of concern; as, the old bugaboo of inflation still bothers them.
Syn: Hobgoblin; goblin; specter; ogre; scarecrow; bogeyman; boogeyman; booger.
Bugbear (n.) An imaginary monster used to frighten children [syn: bogeyman, bugbear, bugaboo, boogeyman, booger].
Bugbear (n.) An object of dread or apprehension; "Germany was always a bugbear for France"; "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"-- Ralph Waldo Emerson [syn: bugbear, hobgoblin].
Bugfish (n.) (Zool.) The menhaden. [U.S.]
Bugger (n.) One guilty of buggery or unnatural vice; a sodomite.
Bugger (n.) A wretch; -- sometimes used humorously or in playful disparagement. [Low]
Bugger (n.) Someone who engages in anal copulation (especially a male who engages in anal copulation with another male) [syn: sodomite, sodomist, sod, bugger].
Bugger (v.) Practice anal sex upon [syn: sodomize, sodomise, bugger].
Buggery (n.) Unnatural sexual intercourse; sodomy.
Buggery (n.) Intercourse via the anus, committed by a man with a man or woman [syn: sodomy, buggery, anal sex, anal intercourse].
Buggery, () crim. law. The detestable crime of having commerce contrary to the order of nature, by mankind with mankind, or with brute beasts, or by womankind with brute beasts. 3 Inst. 58; 12 Co. 36; Dane's Ab. Index, h. t.; Merl. Repert. mot Bestialie. This is a highly penal offence.
Bugginess (a.) The state of being infested with bugs.
Bugginess (n.) The state of having bugs.
Buggy (a.) Infested or abounding with bugs.
Buggies (n. pl. ) of Buggy.
Buggy (n.) A light one horse two-wheeled vehicle. [Eng.]
Villebeck prevailed upon Flora to drive with him to the race in a buggy. -- Beaconsfield.
Buggy (n.) A light, four-wheeled vehicle, usually with one seat, and with or without a calash top. [U.S.]
Buggy cultivator, A cultivator with a seat for the driver.
Buggy plow, A plow, or set of plows, having a seat for the driver; -- called also sulky plow.
Buggy (a.) Informal or slang terms for mentally irregular; "it used to drive my husband balmy" [syn: balmy, barmy, bats, batty, bonkers, buggy, cracked, crackers, daft, dotty, fruity, haywire, kooky, kookie, loco, loony, loopy, nuts, nutty, round the bend, around the bend, wacky, whacky].
Buggy (a.) Infested with bugs.
Buggy (n.) A small lightweight carriage; drawn by a single horse [syn: buggy, roadster].
Bugle (n.) A sort of wild ox; a buffalo. -- E. Phillips.
Bugle (n.) A horn used by hunters.
Bugle (n.) (Mus.) A copper instrument of the horn quality of tone, shorter and more conical that the trumpet, sometimes keyed; formerly much used in military bands, very rarely in the orchestra; now superseded by the cornet; -- called also the Kent bugle.
Bugle (n.) An elongated glass bead, of various colors, though commonly black.
Bugle (a.) Jet black. "Bugle eyeballs." -- Shak.
Bugle (n.) (Bot.) A plant of the genus Ajuga of the Mint family, a native of the Old World.
Yellow bugle, The Ajuga cham[ae]pitys.
Bugle
(n.) A brass instrument without valves; used for military calls and
fanfares.
Bugle
(n.) Any of various low-growing annual or perennial evergreen herbs
native to Eurasia; used for ground cover [syn: bugle, bugleweed].
Bugle (n.) A tubular glass or plastic bead sewn onto clothing for decoration.
Bugle (v.) Play on a bugle.
Bugled (a.) Ornamented with bugles.
Bugle horn () A bugle.
One blast upon his bugle horn Were worth a thousand men. -- Sir W. Scott.
Bugle horn () A drinking vessel made of horn. [Obs.]
And drinketh of his bugle horn the wine. -- Chaucer.
Bugler (n.) One who plays on a bugle.
Bugler (n.) Someone who plays a bugle.
Bugleweed (n.) (Bot.) A plant of the Mint family and genus Lycopus; esp. Lycopus Virginicus, which has mild narcotic and astringent properties, and is sometimes used as a remedy for hemorrhage.
Bugleweed (n.) A mildly narcotic and astringent aromatic herb having small whitish flowers; eastern United States [syn: bugleweed, Lycopus virginicus].
Bugleweed (n.) Any of various low-growing annual or perennial evergreen herbs native to Eurasia; used for ground cover [syn: bugle, bugleweed].
Buglosses (n. pl. ) of Bugloss.
Bugloss (n.) (Bot.) A plant of the genus Anchusa, and especially the Anchusa officinalis, sometimes called alkanet; oxtongue.
Small
wild bugloss, The Asperugo procumbens and the Lycopsis arvensis.
Viper's
bugloss, A species of Echium.
Bugloss
(n.) Perennial or biennial herb cultivated for its delicate usually
blue flowers [syn: bugloss, alkanet, Anchusa officinalis].
Bugloss (n.) Widespread European weed with spiny tongue-shaped leaves and yellow flowers; naturalized in United States [syn: oxtongue, bristly oxtongue, bitterweed, bugloss, Picris echioides].
Bugwort (n.) (Bot.) Bugbane. Buhl
Buhl (n.) Alt. of Buhlwork.
Buhlwork (n.) Decorative woodwork in which tortoise shell, yellow metal, white metal, etc., are inlaid, forming scrolls, cartouches, etc. [Written also boule, boulework.]
Buhl (n.) An inlaid furniture decoration; tortoiseshell and yellow and white metal form scrolls in cabinetwork [syn: boulle, boule, buhl].
Buhl, ID -- U.S. city in Idaho
Population (2000): 3985
Housing Units (2000): 1689
Land area (2000): 1.683518 sq. miles (4.360292 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 1.683518 sq. miles (4.360292 sq. km)
FIPS code: 10810
Located within: Idaho (ID), FIPS 16
Location: 42.600102 N, 114.761867 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 83316
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buhl, ID
Buhl
Buhl, MN -- U.S. city in Minnesota
Population (2000): 983
Housing Units (2000): 432
Land area (2000): 3.287491 sq. miles (8.514561 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.241620 sq. miles (0.625792 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 3.529111 sq. miles (9.140353 sq. km)
FIPS code: 08524
Located within: Minnesota (MN), FIPS 27
Location: 47.494897 N, 92.773855 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Buhl, MN
Buhl
Buhlbuhl (n.) (Zool.) See Bulbul.
Compare: Bulbul
Bulbul (n.) [Per.] (Zool.) The Persian nightingale ({Pycnonotus jocosus). The name is also applied to several other Asiatic singing birds, of the family Timaliid[ae]. The green bulbuls belong to the Chloropsis and allied genera. [Written also buhlbuhl.]
Buhrstone (n.) (Min.) A cellular, flinty rock, used for mill stones. [Written also burrstone.]
Bhutan (n.) Officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, [10] 不丹王國，簡稱不丹，清朝史籍稱布魯克巴 [6] [7] ，是位於中國和印度之間喜馬拉雅山脈東段南坡的一個南亞內陸國。不丹西接印度的錫金邦，與尼泊爾相隔，南部與印度的西孟加拉邦和阿薩姆邦接壤。不丹的首都及最大城市為辛布。宗喀語中不丹的意思是「主域」，意為雷、龍之地。「不丹」一名來自梵語（IAST轉寫：Bhoṭa-anta）一詞的轉寫，意思是「吐蕃的終結」，暗示不丹是位於西藏文化能夠傳遞的最南端。[8] [9] 不丹人來源於古代西藏人，跟藏族同源的門巴族是現在最接近不丹族的民族。 Is a landlocked country in South Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it is bordered by Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north, India in the south, the Sikkim state of India and the Chumbi Valley of Tibet in the west, and Arunachal Pradesh state of India in the east and Assam in the south. Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia and is the region's second least populous nation after the Maldives. Thimphu is its capital and largest city, while Phuntsholing is its financial center.
The independence of Bhutan has endured for centuries, and the territory was never colonized in its history. Situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Bhutanese state developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism. Headed by a spiritual leader known as the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the territory was composed of many fiefdoms and governed as a Buddhist theocracy. Following a civil war in the 19th century, the House of Wangchuck reunited the country and established relations with the British Empire. Bhutan fostered a strategic partnership with India during the rise of Chinese communism and has a disputed border with the People's Republic of China. In 2008, it transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held the first election to the National Assembly of Bhutan, that has a two party system characterizing Bhutanese democracy. [11]
Compare: Geopolitically
Geopolitically (adv.) (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) From a geopolitical point of view.
Compare: Geopolitical
Geopolitical (a.) 地理政治學的 Relating to politics, especially international relations, as influenced by geographical factors.
Bhutan (n.) A principality in the Himalayas northeast of India.
Bhutan (n.) A landlocked principality in the Himalayas to the northeast of India [syn: Bhutan, Kingdom of Bhutan].
Built (imp. & p. p.) of Build.
Building (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Build.
Builded (imp. & p. p.) of Build.
Build (v. t.) 建築；造 [O1]；建立；發展；增進 [（+up）]；生（火） To erect or construct, as an edifice or fabric of any kind; to form by uniting materials into a regular structure; to fabricate; to make; to raise.
Nor aught availed him now To have built in heaven high towers. -- Milton.