bust 1
/bust/ , n.
1. a sculptured, painted, drawn, or engraved representation of the upper part of the human figure, esp. a portrait sculpture showing only the head and shoulders of the subject.
2. the chest or breast, esp. a woman's bosom.
[ 1685-95; buste busto, prob. bustum grave mound, tomb, lit., funeral pyre, ashes; presumably by assoc. with the busts erected over graves ]
bust 2
/bust/ , v.i.
1. Informal.
a. to burst.
b. to go bankrupt.
c. to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort: She was determined to make straight A's or bust.
2. Cards.
a. Draw Poker. to fail to make a flush or straight by one card.
b. Blackjack. to draw cards exceeding the count of 21.
v.t.
3. Informal.
a. to burst.
b. to bankrupt; ruin financially.
4. to demote, esp. in military rank or grade: He was busted from sergeant to private three times.
5. to tame; break: to bust a bronco.
6. Slang.
a. to place under arrest: The gang was busted and put away on narcotics charges.
b. to subject to a police raid: The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.
7. Informal.
a. to hit.
b. to break; fracture: She fell and busted her arm.
8. bust ass , Slang ( vulgar ). to fight with the fists; strike or thrash another.
9. bust on , Slang.
a. to attack physically; beat up.
b. to criticize or reprimand harshly.
c. to make fun of or laugh at; mock.
d. to inform on.
10. bust one's ass , Slang ( vulgar ). to make an extreme effort; exert oneself.
11. bust up , Informal.
a. to break up; separate: Sam and his wife busted up a year ago.
b. to damage or destroy: Soldiers got in a fight and busted up the bar.
n.
12. a failure.
13. Informal. a hit; sock; punch: He got a bust in the nose before he could put up his hands.
14. a sudden decline in the economic conditions of a country, marked by an extreme drop in stock-market prices, business activity, and employment; depression.
15. Slang.
a. an arrest.
b. a police raid.
16. Informal. a drinking spree; binge.
17. Cards.
a. a very weak hand.
b. Bridge. a hand lacking the potential to take a single trick.
adj.
18. Informal. bankrupt; broke.
[ 1755-65; var. of BURST, by loss of r before s, as in ASS 2 , BASS 2 , PASSEL, etc. ]
Usage . Historically BUST is derived from a dialect pronunciation of BURST and is related to it much as cuss is related to curse. BUST is both a noun and a verb and has a wide range of meanings for both uses. Many are slang or informal. A few, as "a decline in economic conditions, depression," are standard.