DCHP-1 Online

bug ((2)) 2 Slang

• 1 n. a germ, or microbe; the cause of an illness.

  • 1919  "Gee! now I will get well," he said; "I'll beat the bug out now--I'll have heart."
  • 1963  This flu bug has been having a hayday [sic], flitting about Discovery. . . .

• 2 n. an idea or an obsession with an idea to do or become something.

  • 1909  In his speech, Hanley admitted having been unduly urged into running by his friends, but also confessed to having got the bug in his head himself.
  • 1922  ". . . when you have caught the bug for big farmin', you'll be mighty glad o' the chance to buy Fifteen. . . ."
  • 1955  Men who have succumbed to the do-it-yourself bug have done so through other reasons than avoiding work.