To Badger Someone Comes From a Blood Sport
A badger is a burrowing mammal. The verb meaning to pester comes from the cruel practice of badger-baiting.
A badger is a stocky burrowing mammal of the weasel family. The verb has an ugly source: badger-baiting set dogs on a captive badger for entertainment, and to badger an animal meant to torment it relentlessly. The sport was banned in Britain in 1835; the verb survived and softened into mere pestering.
- A burrowing mammal. *A European badger.*
- To pester persistently. *Stop badgering me.*
- Badger as a modifier. *A badger sett.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | badger | A striped badger. |
| Plural | badgers | Badgers at dusk. |
| Verb | badger | He badgered them. |
| Home | sett | An occupied sett. |
| Group | cete / clan | A clan of badgers. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Badgers live in setts.Not burrows or dens.
- She badgered him for an answer.Verb.
- Badger culls remain controversial in Britain.Linked to bovine tuberculosis.
Badger facts
- Setts — tunnel systems used by generations, some centuries old
- Nocturnal — mostly active after dark
- Omnivorous — earthworms are the European badger's staple
- Honey badger — a different species, famed for its fearlessness
- Protected — European badgers and their setts are protected by British law
Probably from *badge*, referring to the white blaze on the head. The verb dates from the eighteenth century and the baiting practice.
Why is a badger's home called a sett?
Sett is a distinct term for the badger's tunnel system, used by generations of animals and often extending for hundreds of metres.
Is a honey badger a badger?
It is in the same family but a different genus. Its ferocity is not typical of true badgers.