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bust

[/bʌst/]
noun/verbpl: busts
busto; quebra; prisão
1. A sculpture of a person's head, shoulders, and chest
There is a marble bust of the composer in the museum.
Há um busto de mármore do compositor no museu.
2. The chest or breasts of a woman
The dress accentuated her bust.
O vestido acentuava seu busto.
3. To break something; to shatter
He bust the vase when he dropped it.
Ele quebrou o vaso quando o deixou cair.
4. To arrest someone; police action
The police bust drug dealers regularly.
A polícia prende traficantes regularmente.
5. A failed business or financial collapse
The company went bust after the scandal.
A empresa faliu após o escândalo.
NYC Slang
bust (as in 'to arrest' or 'to break') - widely used in NYC vernacular, especially in law enforcement contexts
Synonyms
sculpturebreakshatterarrestfailure
Antonyms
successprosperityrepair

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
busto; quebra; prisão
Standard usage across Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
busto; quebra; prender
Colloquial use of 'prender' for arrest
São Paulo
busto; arrebentar; prisão
'Arrebentar' used for breaking in informal contexts
Portugal
busto; quebra; detenção
'Detenção' preferred over 'prisão' in formal contexts

Related Idioms & Phrases

go bust - to fail financially (ir à falência)
bust a move - to dance or make a sudden action (dançar ou fazer um movimento repentino)
bust your ass - to work very hard (trabalhar muito duro)
bust someone's chops - to tease or annoy someone (provocar ou incomodar alguém)
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