honey badger en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From their badger-like appearance and their liking for honey. The slang sense was inspired by the 2011 viral video The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger, for which original narration (including variations of "honey badger don't care") was dubbed over preexisting footage of a honey badger fending off various dangerous situations.
Meanings
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Any member of the species Mellivora capensis of badger-like mustelids native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Not only is the honey badger fond of hunting and eating venomous snakes and stealing honey from angry bees, it is also disregarding of animals many times its own size. Lions and leopards have been known to kill and eat honey badgers, but on the whole, they will give them a wide berth.
2007, Ross Piper, Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, page 48:There are in fact records of Honey badgers being stung to death in their quest for this much-relished source of food. Reptiles are also a major food source. Venomous snakes are neither ignored nor respected by the honey badger.
2008, Lee Gutteridge, The South African Bushveld: A Field Guide from the Waterberg, page 97:Co-operative relationships between mammals and birds are unusual, but the honey badger enjoys two. Its association with the greater honeyguide is well known. This small bird uses a distinctive song to lure the honey badger to a bee′s nest, whereupon it feasts on the grubs after the badger has ransacked the nest and had its fill of honey. Less well known is the honey badger′s association with the pale chanting goshawk.
2010, Chris McIntyre, Botswana: Okavango Delta, Chobe, Northern Kalahari, page 201:
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(figuratively, slang) A person who displays indifference or disregard for others' opinions.
For years, Bitcoin has been called "the honey badger of money," and "antifragile." The "Bitcoin don't care" meme is perhaps most applicable of all right now. Bitcoin simply doesn't care what China does, or what bank CEOs say, or what central bankers think. The only thing Bitcoin cares about, apparently, is increasing in price and adoption.
2017 October 20, David Dinkins, “Bitcoin Breaks $6,000 Barrier, Market Cap Now Exceeds $100 Billion”, in Cointelegraph:The documentarian told the New York Times' Frank Bruni last month he made the movie because he "wanted to contribute something to the political debate ongoing." He said Bannon was willing to cooperate because he is a honey badger, and "honey badgers don't care," referring to the viral meme.
2018 September 5, Sonia Rao, “Here's what early critics think of Errol Morris's Steve Bannon movie, 'American Dharma'”, in The Washington Post:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| honeybadger | alternative | lexicographic | |
| honey badgers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
beejoo · biju · ratel · Indian badger · honey weasel
Translations (98)
nb honninggrevling (Mellivora capensis) · sd ڳورپٽ (Mellivora capensis) · nv tłʼiish yighání (Mellivora capensis) · uk медоїд (Mellivora capensis) · bg меден язовец (Mellivora capensis) · uz asalxoʻr (Mellivora capensis) · ml തറക്കരടി (Mellivora capensis) · id ratel (Mellivora capensis) · pl pszczoło-jamnik (Mellivora capensis) · et meemäger (Mellivora capensis) · ko 라텔 (Mellivora capensis) · ky балчыл кашкулак (Mellivora capensis) · br ratel (Mellivora capensis) · da honninggrævling (Mellivora capensis) · ha dage (Mellivora capensis) · gl ratel (Mellivora capensis) · gu ઘોરખોદિયું (Mellivora capensis) · de Honigdächsin (Mellivora capensis) · fa گورکن عسلخوار (Mellivora capensis) · ms bejar madu (Mellivora capensis) · ast melandru del miel (Mellivora capensis) · it ratele (Mellivora capensis) · sk mediar svetlochrbtý (Mellivora capensis) · ka თაფლიჭამია მაჩვი (Mellivora capensis) · fr ratel (Mellivora capensis) · es tajugo mielero (Mellivora capensis) · kk итаю (Mellivora capensis) · es ratel (Mellivora capensis) · cs medojed (Mellivora capensis) · ms ratel (Mellivora capensis) · kmb canganga (Mellivora capensis) · es tasugo melero (Mellivora capensis) · lv medusāpsis (Mellivora capensis) · sw nyegere (Mellivora capensis) · rw imbwebwe (Mellivora capensis) · nl honingdas (Mellivora capensis) · ast ratel (Mellivora capensis) · af ratel (Mellivora capensis) · ro bursucul melivor (Mellivora capensis) · pt texugo-do-mel (Mellivora capensis) · nn honninggrevling (Mellivora capensis) · pa ਬਿੱਜੂ (Mellivora capensis) · sk medojed (Mellivora capensis) · sh medojedni jazavac (Mellivora capensis) · az bal porsuğu (Mellivora capensis) · ga broc meala (Mellivora capensis) · pl ratel miodożerny (Mellivora capensis) · es melandro melifluo (Mellivora capensis) · hy մեղրակեր (Mellivora capensis) · mr चांदीअस्वल (Mellivora capensis) · ne रतेल (Mellivora capensis) · eu azkonar eztijale (Mellivora capensis) · ta தேன் வளைக்கரடி (Mellivora capensis) · es tejón de miel (Mellivora capensis) · lt bitėdis barsukas (Mellivora capensis) · zu insele (Mellivora capensis) · ki thegere (Mellivora capensis) · ka რატელი (Mellivora capensis) · he גירית הדבש (Mellivora capensis) · kmb cambulo (Mellivora capensis) · ja ラーテル (Mellivora capensis) · cy melfroch (Mellivora capensis) · ar غُرَيْر العَسَل (Mellivora capensis) · ca ratel (Mellivora capensis) · pl ratel (Mellivora capensis) · sv ratel (Mellivora capensis) · hi बिज्जू (Mellivora capensis) · fr zorille du Cap (Mellivora capensis) · ru медое́д (Mellivora capensis) · sk mediar (Mellivora capensis) · is hunangsgreifingi (Mellivora capensis) · it tasso del miele (Mellivora capensis) · kab wirzan (Mellivora capensis) · bg медояд (Mellivora capensis) · pl miodożer (Mellivora capensis) · eo dukolora mielvorulo (Mellivora capensis) · mt baġer tal-għasel (Mellivora capensis) · an ratel (Mellivora capensis) · an taixugo d'a miel (Mellivora capensis) · wo kund (Mellivora capensis) · th ฮันนี่แบดเจอร์ (Mellivora capensis) · cmn 蜜獾 (Mellivora capensis) · am ኣራጅ (Mellivora capensis) · it mellivora (Mellivora capensis) · sv honungsgrävling (Mellivora capensis) · be медаед (Mellivora capensis) · sh медоједни јазавац (Mellivora capensis) · de Honigdachs (Mellivora capensis) · hu méhészborz (Mellivora capensis) · tr bal porsuğu (Mellivora capensis) · ko 벌꿀오소리 (Mellivora capensis) · lg ntaulira (Mellivora capensis) · pt ratel (Mellivora capensis) · fo hunangsgrevlingur (Mellivora capensis) · sl medarski jazbec (Mellivora capensis) · vi lửng mật (Mellivora capensis) · fi mesimäyrä (Mellivora capensis) · lt medlaižys (Mellivora capensis)