Engaging in sodomy or bestiality (archaic); used more commonly today as a mild curse word meaning to annoy or mess up something.
From buggery (from Middle English bougre); the '-ing' form creates a gerund or present participle.
In modern British English, 'buggering' has become so softened as a curse word that it's almost innocuous—you hear 'I'm buggering off' meaning 'I'm leaving,' far removed from its original meaning.
From 'bugger,' rooted in medieval religious persecution and later weaponized against homosexual men through criminalization. The term carries violent legal history.
Avoid except in historical or legal documentation. If used, provide explicit context about the term's persecution history.
["engaging in sodomy (legal)","same-sex intercourse"]
LGBTQ+ archivists and legal scholars have reclaimed this history to show institutional violence and fight modern discrimination.
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