bust

I. n

1.

an arrest, especially for possession of illicit drugs. An item of hippy jargon which originated in the early 1960s and which by the late 1980s had become a common enough colloquialism to be used in the written and broadcast media. In American street-gang and underworld usage the word already had the sense of 'catch in the act' by the late 1950s.

► 'The busts started to happen. People started to go to prison. People started to die. But by then you were too far in.' (Female ex-drug addict, Independent, 17 July 1989)

2.

American

a spectacular achievement or successful coup. A teenage term of approbation of the late 1980s, coming from the jargon of basketball, where it means a good shot.

3.

a wild party or celebration

4a.

Australian

a break-in, burglary

4b.

a break-out, an escape from prison

II. vb

1.

to arrest, especially for possession of illicit drugs. In the USA the word was being used in this sense by the 1950s.

► 'And then I went and got busted, my old mother was disgusted. I'm never ever going to be trusted, by anybody any-more.' (Lyrics to 'Busted' by the Bonzo Dog Band, 1970)

► 'What I say [is] if guys get busted in North Africa and end up in their shitty prisons they got to be dumb in the first place.' (Letter to Oz magazine, June 1969)

2.

American

to demote. The word is used in this sense in armed-forces jargon, as in 'busted down to sergeant'.