bunk1
/bʌŋk
/noun
A narrow shelf-like bed, typically one of two or more arranged one on top of the other.Some of the crew went off-shift, stringing up hybrid bunks and hammocks belowdecks, the others continued working....
- Inside it's designed as the cabin of a ship: the bunks used to be hammocks and, even when they changed to something more solid, they were famous for having three tiers.
- Few pirates were in there, snoozing deeply in their bunks or hammocks.
Synonyms
berth, cot, bunk bed, bed
verb [no object] chiefly North American
Sleep in a bunk or improvised bed, typically in shared quarters: they bunk together in the dormitory...
- The Queenslanders were sleeping in cars or bunking in caravan parks.
- ‘Sure,’ I said, ‘I probably should know what you do if we're going to be bunking together.’
- Baker, Pease, Broadwater, and Lieutenant Charles B. Schofield bunked together in another tent.
Origin
Mid 18th century: of unknown origin; perhaps related to bunker.
A shortening of bunkum, which also means ‘nonsense’ but is now rather dated. Originally also spelled buncombe, it refers to Buncombe County in North Carolina, USA. Around 1820 the congressman representing the county mentioned it in an inconsequential speech, just to please his constituents. Buncombe immediately became a byword for tedious nonsense. Bunk meaning ‘a kind of bed’ and bunk as in bunk off are different words, both of unknown origin. See also history
Rhymes
bunk2
/bʌŋk/noun [mass noun] informal
Nonsense: anyone with a brain cell would never believe such bunk...
- We like to believe that history is bunk because we don't like being bound by it.
- That he believes his own bunk is the best joke of all.
- Certainly there is as much bunk out there that needs to be unmasked as nonsense or lies.
Origin
Early 20th century: abbreviation of bunkum.
bunk3
/bʌŋk/verb [no object] (bunk off) British informal
Abscond or play truant from school or work: he bunked off school all week...
- It is just really to keep a high profile in case pupils who do not want to go to school think it's all gone quiet so they can bunk off again.
- About 50,000 children in England bunk off school each day, despite the fact that millions of pounds have been spent on initiatives including town-centre truancy sweeps.
- He was always trying to encourage me to bunk off and go hang out in the caff at the park, but I being the goody-goody that I was always refused convinced I'd get caught.
Synonyms
play truant from, truant from, stay away from, not go to, be absent from, skip, avoid, shirk
British informal skive off
Irish informal mitch off
North American informal play hookey from, goof off, ditch, cut
Australian/New Zealand informal play the wag from
rare bag, hop the wag from
Phrases
do a bunk
Origin
Mid 19th century: of unknown origin.