bust one's butt

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

bust one's butt (third-person singular simple present busts one's butt, present participle busting one's butt, simple past and past participle busted one's butt or bust one's butt)

1. (slang, Canada, US) To work exceptionally hard.

   I've been busting my butt getting the tent fixed, while you're just sipping cocoa. Give me a hand.

   • 1987 December 13, anonymous author, “Asinine Policy Of Supporting Prisoners”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 22, page 4:

     I have several friends who are public defenders. They are competent, hard working attorneys who bust their butts every day to give these people the best defense available at any price.

   • 1995, Jewel (lyrics and music), “Who Will Save Your Soul”, in Pieces of You:

     Those flings, those strings you've got to cut / So get out on the streets, girls, and bust your butts

Synonyms

• bust one's ass
• bust one's neck
• sweat blood

Translations

to work exceptionally hard

• French: se casser le cul (fr)
• German: den Arsch aufreißen (de)
• Italian: farsi il culo
• Russian: надрыва́ться (ru) (nadryvátʹsja), (colloquial) паха́ть (ru) (paxátʹ), (vulgar) рвать жо́пу (ru) (rvatʹ žópu)
• Spanish: romperse el culo, romperse el orto (es) (Argentina)
• Swedish: jobba häcken av sig (sv)