British public school slang for a new pupil — a first-year student or recent arrival at a boarding school.
British public school slang for a new pupil — a first-year student or recent arrival at a boarding school. 'Bug' as a term for a junior schoolboy was common in English public school vernacular of the 19th and early 20th centuries, where elaborate hierarchies of slang marked status. A new-bug would be at the very bottom of the pecking order and subject to various forms of initiation.
New bug means: British public school slang for a new pupil - a first-year student or recent arrival at a boarding school. 'Bug' as a term for a junior schoolboy was common in English public school vernacular of. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. It is an education-system term, so usage is institutional and routine.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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(US, slang) An apprentice jockey.
Informal slang for crazy, erratic, or mentally unstable — as in someone who's acting unhinged or making no rational sense. Often used in mild exasperation rather than clinical diagnosis. The term is flexible: you can call a person bugs, or describe a situation or idea as bugs. It sits alongside similar terms like nuts, crackers, and bonkers in the long tradition of British and American slang for eccentricity or irrationality.
(Internet slang, childish, humorous) A bug.
(British) Bugger; damn.
The new-bugs were made to carry the older boys' sports kit for the first term.
New bug means: British public school slang for a new pupil - a first-year student or recent arrival at a boarding school. 'Bug' as a term for a junior schoolboy was common in English public school vernacular of. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. It is an education-system term, so usage is institutional and routine.
new bug means: British public school slang for a new pupil - a first-year student or recent arrival at a boarding school. 'Bug' as a term for a junior schoolboy was common in English public. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(UK, public school slang) A new pupil.
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