BUSTER NOUN (PEOPLE AND SOCIETY)

In US slang, short for baby buster: a person born in the generation after the baby boom (see boomer), at a time when the birth rate fell dramatically in most Western countries. Etymology: Formed by dropping the word baby from baby buster, following the model of boomer. In economic terms (especially in US English), a bust is a slump, that is the opposite of a boom. History and Usage: The busters--children born from the late sixties onwards--are becoming an important force in Western economies now that they are adults. These economies, once able to grow continuously, must now shrink if the smaller population is not to bust them. Busters may replace boomers as the darlings of advertisers. headline in Wall Street Journal 12 Nov. 1987, p. 41