bunny hugger
- noun
- /ˈbʌni ˈhʌɡər/
- Slang
:
defensor de los animales
- And then these goddamn bunny-huggers and Patagonia Patsies, who all lived in the city and knew less than jack-shit about anything, would have their say, and the agency goons, who were all just like that themselves anyway, would take it as gospel and come up with some new harebrained scheme for making life more of a misery for ranchers.
Examples
-
"And he's got a real feel for my kind of work." "Yep, he's a born bunny-hugger."
Fiction book (1998) -
But you know what these bunny-huggers are like.
Fiction book (1998) -
"Where all us bunny-huggers grow up, of course."
Fiction book (1998) -
Buck was damned if he was going to be frightened off by a bunch of pot-smoking bunny-huggers threatening him over the phone.
Fiction book (1998) -
As a true bunny hugger, she volunteers at the animal shelter every weekend, helping to care for the rabbits.
-
The bunny hugger spoke passionately about the importance of protecting animal rights during the community meeting.
-
He identified himself as a bunny hugger, proudly advocating for better treatment of all pets in his neighborhood.
How Animal-Loving
- Slang
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly built from 'bunny' (rabbit) + 'hugger' (someone who hugs), so a learner who knows both words can infer it describes a person affectionate toward or protective of rabbits/animals. It is a playful, compositional coinage (like 'tree-hugger'), making the meaning immediately derivable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Bunny hugger probably comes from the image of a person hugging a rabbit: bunny (a small rabbit) and hugger (someone who hugs). So the phrase is used to mean 'an animal lover' or someone who supports 'animal rights'.
