Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun humorous Avoiding one's duties and responsibilities by claiming to have appointments to see a fictitious person.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Bunbury +‎ -ing, coined by Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) after Bunbury, the fictitious invalid friend of the character Algernon whose supposed illness is used as an excuse to avoid social engagements.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Bunburying.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Avoiding one's duties and responsibilities by claiming to have appointments to see a fictitious person.

    October 29, 2011

  • See also Bunbury, bunbury and bunburying.

    October 29, 2011

  • Oddly enough, "Bunburying" is the only entry with a definition. The words bilby linked to contain no defintion. (I prefer to list words without capitalization.)

    October 29, 2011

  • Me too. Listing Capitalized words seems somehow wrong... undemocratic.

    What the hell. Crypto-fascist!

    October 29, 2011

  • Yarrr about the definition but as the other bun-Buns have comments and appear on lists I thought it worthy of linking them here.

    anti-capitalization! we are the 99%!

    October 29, 2011