🤝 A friend 👮 A harsh leader 💪 A tough man

bucko

1 9.8

A person in charge who orders people around in a harsh way

noun
/ˈbʌkoʊ/

Offensive

: matón (ofensivo)

Nobody wanted to work under the bucko supervisor because of his harsh attitude.

Examples

She stood up to the bucko in charge and demanded fair treatment for the team.
That bucko really knows how to intimidate his team.
The new manager quickly gained a reputation as a bucko who barked orders at everyone.
You better listen to that bucko if you want to keep your job.
The new manager acted like a real bucko, demanding perfection from everyone and rarely offering praise.
In the meeting, the team began to feel uneasy as their boss, a notorious bucko, barked orders at them.
Despite his friendly demeanor, his decisions revealed him to be a harsh bucko who tolerated no mistakes.

Antonyms

follower

295 1.6

A person who supports a leader and accepts their direction

subordinate

38 4.6

A person with a lower job rank who follows another's orders

How Domineering

tyrant

Offensive

83 5.8

bucko

Offensive

1 9.8

bully

Offensive

301 3.2

taskmaster

8 7.2

stickler

21 7.9

supervisor

346 2.8

Surface Forms

bucko singular

buckos plural

Morphology

bucko = buck (semi-transparent) = buck + o

Formed from 'buck' + colloquial suffix '-o'; the slangy, bullying-authority sense is partly predictable but specific connotations of aggression and dominance are lexicalized and may not be obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word bucko comes from buck, a 'male deer' or a bold man, plus the rough ending -o. It gave the idea of a big, bossy 'buck' who pushes people around. So bucko can mean a person in authority who is aggressive and bully-like.