One day, the term doesn’t exist (to me), the next day, it’s in The Wall Street Journal as good & proper nonstandard English (well, not the WSJ, but in the Sporting News). So what does “to bogart (something)” mean? Where did the word originate? How was its use popularized (movie, song, video, etc)?
From the contexts I’ve seen it in, “bogart” seems to mean to “hog up” something. WAG - “bogart” seems to have started in drug parlance in reference to someone not passing a joint around in a timely manner – or not sharing their Mary Jane stash. Or something.
Anything to do with Humphrey Bogart or the late music mogul Neil Bogart?
It derives from the cinematic image of Humphrey Bogart with the cigarette constantly dangling from his lips.
The origin of the verb is all about hanging onto a joint (i.e. marihuana cigarette) without sharing it. It was popularized through the underground hippie-drug culture slang of the 1960s. Especially in the 1969 countercultural film Easy Rider. The soundtrack included a lazy, drawling country-music song that went:
“Don’t bogart that joint, my friend, pass it over to me…”
“Rooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll . . . anotherone . . . just liiiike the otherone . . . .”
“To bogart” was to keep a joint (do I have to explain that?)of marijuana in your mouth instead of passing it along to the next guy (marijuana was usually smoked in groups). It was drug slang of the early 60s, and was immortalized on the soundtrack of “Easy Rider” with the song “Don’t Bogart That Joint” (also called “Don’t Bogart Me”).
It comes from the image of Humphrey Bogart with a cigarette.
Here’s The Mavens’ take on bogart. And here is The Word Detective’s take on bogart. They pretty much agree with each other and with what Jomo Mojo said. In addition to the “to hog” usage, there is an earlier sense of “to intimidate.”
Ha ha! Reality Chuck, I am truly amazed to learn that the word “bogart” is that old. I am 30 years old, and have only heard the word this year. From my point of view, the verb “bogart” was “invented” in February. <shrug> Just wasn’t around drugs very much growing up.
Hmmm. I always thought “bogart” or “bogard” as I’ve heard it pronounced means “to show off or to strut” as in “Bogard down the boulevard.” I don’t have a cite for this, but it’s how I’ve seen some black people use it. I never really thought about the reference to Humphrey Bogart, but I suppose in retrospect it does make sense.
The movie soundtrack is The Fraternity of Man version, which they recorded in 1968 - “Easy Rider” was released in 1969. Little Feat formed in 1969 and released their first album in 1971. “Waiting For Columbus” was released in 1978.
The term also pops up in the Gen X movie “Reality Bites” from about 1995. Somebody tells somebody else not to “bogart that can” where the can in question is a soda can which has been fashioned into a bong.
It was a stupid movie. But that’s how I know what the phrase means.
I first heard it in the classic Chris Elliott (sp?) series Get a Life of a decade or so ago. Brian Doyle Murray chided Elliott for trying to “bogart” something.