badger
to pressure someone
TRANSLATION
badger (verb) = belästigen, piesacken badger (noun) = der Dachs --- GOOGLE INDEX badger: approximately 12,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
When she dropped out of school she BADGERED her father to begin teaching her about filmmaking.
(BBC News)
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A Perth man whose wrongful murder conviction is at the centre of a corruption probe into the conduct of prosecutors and police says officers BADGERED him into confessing.
(The West Australian)
(BBC News)
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A Perth man whose wrongful murder conviction is at the centre of a corruption probe into the conduct of prosecutors and police says officers BADGERED him into confessing.
(The West Australian)
Did you
know?
badger
verb
- to persuade someone by telling them repeatedly to do something, or to question someone repeatedly
noun
- an animal with greyish brown fur, a black and white head and a pointed face, which lives underground and comes out to feed at night
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
Although the exact origin is unknown, the verb "badger" likely stems from the animal referred to as the badger because of its aggressive, tenacious behaviour. It may also derive from the once common sport of "badger baiting," in which dogs would be set loose to find and draw a badger out of its burrow and then kill it.
In the U.S. court system for instance, badgering is a common tactic used to try and intimidate witnesses. Opposing lawyers often respond by standing up and saying, "Your honor I object! Counsel is badgering the witness!"
In a clever television commercial by a major U.S. beer producer, a mock trial takes place between two brewers. As an old beer expert takes the witness stand, one of the lawyers goes to get a piece of evidence. He returns with a badger in a cage and constantly waves it in front of the expert witness while questioning him. The trial judge then stops the lawyer and asks, "Counsel, are you badgering the witness again?"
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SYNONYMS
nag, bother, annoy, bait, bedevil, bug, bully, goad, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, hound, importune, insist on, needle, nudge, pester, plague, tease, torment
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"John didn't want to get involved in the project, but his boss badgered him until he accepted"
verb
- to persuade someone by telling them repeatedly to do something, or to question someone repeatedly
noun
- an animal with greyish brown fur, a black and white head and a pointed face, which lives underground and comes out to feed at night
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
Although the exact origin is unknown, the verb "badger" likely stems from the animal referred to as the badger because of its aggressive, tenacious behaviour. It may also derive from the once common sport of "badger baiting," in which dogs would be set loose to find and draw a badger out of its burrow and then kill it.
In the U.S. court system for instance, badgering is a common tactic used to try and intimidate witnesses. Opposing lawyers often respond by standing up and saying, "Your honor I object! Counsel is badgering the witness!"
In a clever television commercial by a major U.S. beer producer, a mock trial takes place between two brewers. As an old beer expert takes the witness stand, one of the lawyers goes to get a piece of evidence. He returns with a badger in a cage and constantly waves it in front of the expert witness while questioning him. The trial judge then stops the lawyer and asks, "Counsel, are you badgering the witness again?"
---
SYNONYMS
nag, bother, annoy, bait, bedevil, bug, bully, goad, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, hound, importune, insist on, needle, nudge, pester, plague, tease, torment
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"John didn't want to get involved in the project, but his boss badgered him until he accepted"
