Bung

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbʌŋ/

Definitions

1. A device used to seal an opening by fitting tightly into a hole ; to hurl an object forcefully through the air ; to perform badly or unsuccessfully in a task or effort
2. An object that blocks an aperture to prevent passage ; to propel something with strong effort ; to fail at a task or activity, often causing an error
3. A plug inserted to close off a cavity or container ; to send or throw something quickly and energetically ; to flop or not succeed, typically in performance or work

Etymology: The most surprising thing here is that "bung" has several unrelated origins that happen to share one sound. The sense of a stopper for a cask or hole probably comes from Medieval Dutch "bonge" or "bonghe", meaning a stopper, with a possible route through French "bonde". Behind that lies a Latin word for a hole, "puncta", the feminine form of "punctus", meaning pierced or pricked, which links it to the same family as "puncture". A separate and much more unusual source gives the Australian English sense "dead", as in a bung-eyed or "gone bung" state. That word was borrowed from Yagara, an Aboriginal language of south-east Queensland, where "bang" meant dead. British settlers picked it up, and it spread into Australian slang. The sense of bung meaning a bribe, or of performing badly, and the sense of hurling something, come from different routes again. Their exact development is not settled, so the cleanest thread to follow is the stopper sense, which runs from Dutch through French to a Latin verb for piercing.

Synonyms: stopper, plug