Buckley, “Who struck Buckley?” a common phrase used to irritate Irishmen. The story is that an Englishman having struck an Irishman named Buckley, the latter made a great outcry, and one of his friends rushed forth screaming, “Who struck Buckley?” “I did,” said the Englishman, preparing for the apparently inevitable combat. “Then,” said the ferocious Hibernian, after a careful investigation of the other’s thews and sinews, “then, sarve him right.”
Buckra, a white man. The original of this term is a “flogging man,” from the Hebrew, and the application of it to the whites by the West Indian negroes is, therefore, rather interesting. They probably first learned it from a missionary.
Buckshish, BUCKSHEESH or BACKSHEESH, a present of money. Over all India, and the East generally, the natives lose no opportunity of asking for BUCKSHISH. The usage is such a complete nuisance that the word is sometimes answered by a blow; this is termed BAMBOO BUCKSHISH. Buckshish has taken up a very firm residence in Europe—may, in fact, on a much larger scale than that of Asia, be said to have always had an existence here. Buckshish is a very important item in the revenues of officials who hold positions of considerable importance, as well as in those of their humbler brethren. During the recent visit of the Shah of Persia, that potentate discovered that BUCKSHISH was by no means peculiar to the East.
Budge, to move, to “make tracks.”
Budge, strong drink; BUDGY, drunk; BUDGING-KEN, a public-house; “cove of the BUDGING-KEN,” the landlord. Probably a corruption of BOOZE. Probably also, on the lucus a non lucendo principle, because its use made one incapable of budging.
Buff, the bare skin; “stripped to the BUFF.”
Buff, to swear to, or accuse; generally used in reference to a wrongful accusation, as, “Oh, BUFF it on to him.” Old word for boasting, 1582.
Buffer, a navy term for a boatswain’s mate, one of whose duties it is—or was—to administer the “[cat].”
Buffer, a familiar expression for a jolly acquaintance, probably from the French BOUFFARD, a fool or clown; a “jolly old BUFFER,” said of a good-humoured or liberal old man. In 1737, a BUFFER was a “rogue that killed good sound horses for the sake of their skins, by running a long wire into them.”—Bacchus and Venus. The term was once applied to those who took false oaths for a consideration; but though the word has fallen into disuse there is no particular reason for imagining that the practice has.