busk

American  

[buhsk] / bʌsk /

verb (used without object)

1. to entertain by dancing, singing, reciting, juggling, etc., on the street or in a public place.

2. Canadian. to make a showy or noisy appeal.

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busk ¹ British  

/ bʌsk /

noun

1. a strip of whalebone, wood, steel, etc, inserted into the front of a corset to stiffen it

2. archaic the corset itself

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busk ² British  

/ bʌsk /

verb

1. to make ready; prepare

2. to dress or adorn

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busk ³ British  

/ bʌsk /

verb

1. (intr) to make money by singing, dancing, acting, etc, in public places, as in front of theatre queues

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Other Word Forms

• busker noun
• busking noun

Etymology

Origin of busk

First recorded in 1850–55; origin unclear; perhaps, if earlier sense was “to make a living by entertaining,” from Polari, from Italian buscare “to procure, get, gain,” from Spanish buscar “to look for, seek”

Explanation

To busk is to earn money by performing in public for tips. If you learn how to play the bagpipes, you could put on a kilt, go downtown, and busk. Unlike a concert with an admission fee, when a musician busks, she puts a tip jar nearby. Passers-by can donate money if they want to, but the music is free for those who can't or don't want to pay. In the 1800s, to busk was "to offer goods for sale only in bars and taprooms," probably from a nautical meaning of busk, "cruise like a pirate" or "live a shiftless life."

Example Sentences

Literally anyone can don a costume and busk for cash in America’s busiest plaza—so Luke Winkie thought he’d try his hand at one of the weirdest, least-regulated jobs in America.

From Slate • Nov. 14, 2023

Buffett dropped out of Auburn, often journeying to New Orleans to busk in its streets.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2023

After waking up each morning, she puts on makeup and her favourite black wig before grabbing a handbag and heading onto the streets of the historic city of Yogyakarta to busk.

From BBC • May 13, 2023

Now, after months without any work, he wakes up every morning to busk in a local market.

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2020

An’ I, wha sang o’ rain an’ snaw, An’ weary winter weel awa’, Noo busk me in a jacket braw, An’ tak my place I’ the ram-stam, harum-scarum raw, Wi’ smilin’ face.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 14 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis