Buster Was Once a Way to Address a Stranger
A buster breaks something. As a form of address it is dated American slang, usually delivered with an edge.
A buster is someone or something that breaks or destroys — a crime buster, a bunker buster. As a form of address it belongs to mid-century American speech: calling a man *buster* was familiar and faintly hostile, the tone of someone about to tell you off. It survives mainly in old films and in the phrase *listen here, buster*.
- One who breaks something. *A trust buster.*
- A form of address (dated). *Watch it, buster.*
- Something impressive (dated slang). *A real buster of a storm.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | buster | A crime buster. |
| Plural | busters | Bunker busters. |
| Verb | bust | Bust the door. |
| Adjective | busted | A busted pipe. |
| Related | break | Break it open. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Listen here, buster.Dated and confrontational.
- A bunker buster penetrates before exploding.Military.
- Trust busters broke up the monopolies.American history.
The -buster suffix
- Trust buster — one who breaks up monopolies
- Bunker buster — a deep-penetration bomb
- Blockbuster — originally a large bomb, later a huge hit
- Crime buster — a figure in headlines rather than in policing
- Myth buster — someone who disproves common beliefs
From *bust*, an American variant of *burst*. The vocative sense is recorded from the 1830s and peaked in the mid twentieth century.
Is calling someone *buster* rude?
It is dated and mildly aggressive. Today it sounds like a line from an old film rather than natural speech.
Why is a hit film a blockbuster?
The word first named a bomb large enough to destroy a city block, then transferred to anything with overwhelming impact.