bust a gut

1. Also, burst a gut.

2. Exert one-self to the utmost. For example, He was busting a gut trying to please her . This hyperbolic term alludes to hurting one's mid-section through physical straining. The first slangy term dates from the early 1900s, the variant from about 1700. For a synonym, see break one's ass .

3. Explode with strong feeling, especially laughter or anger. For example, Gene almost bust a gut laughing , or The foreman will burst a gut when he learns that the machine isn't repaired . The former dates from the late 1800s, the latter from about 1940.

Example Sentences

Edinburgh bust a gut to break through a white wall, but couldn't find a chink.

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“At a time when ‘Star Wars’ and its spinoffs have inspired special effects men to bust a gut making their interplanetary adventures look real, ‘Flash Gordon’ is cheerfully willing to look as phony as it is,” he wrote.

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Ms Sturgeon also said health teams would "bust a gut" to get booster jabs to all adults as quickly as possible.

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The unrepentantly blue streak threaded throughout makes "Harley Queen" very much an adult-style treat, and with each of its 26 episodes coming in at around 20 minutes long, you can somersault through the entirety of its two seasons and bust a gut without breaking a sweat.

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I was laughing so hard I thought I’d bust a gut.

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