Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US black) to act aggressively, in a bullying manner; to enter without invitation; used verbally as synon, for dozens n. (1) (see cite 1974).

1965		‘SWAP Dict. Teen-age Sl’ in Ebony Mar. 98/2: Bogart: to muscle through — as in ‘Dig up, let’s grab a boss broad and bogart our way into a boss jam’.
1966		Current Sl. I:2 1/2: Bogart, v. To injure or hurt, or to protect at the cost of violence.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 197: ‘Hey there, Cool Breeze, how you get here?’ ‘Cool Breeze jus’ bogart his way in.’.
1971–2		C. Shafer ‘Catheads [...] and Cho-Cho Sticks’ in Abernethy Bounty of Texas (1990) 198: bo’guard, v. – to bully your way into something: to bo’guard one’s way.
1974		H.L. Foster Playin’ the Dozens 198: Sometimes, ‘loud mouthing’ or ‘loud talking,’ ‘sounding,’ ‘screaming on someone,’ or even ‘bogarding’ are synonyms for ‘woofing’.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 102: ‘Like, you be wid a girl. Dude come up, bogard you, get in d’ way’ [...] You can also bogart in more physically overt ways: ‘Like, you be dancin’, somebody try cut you. Move in on yo’ space. Take up all the room.’.
1985		G. Tate ‘Atomic Dog’ in Flyboy in the Buttermilk (1992) 29: Clinton one day got the bold idea to head for Detroit and try to bogart his way into a Motown recording deal.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 bogard Definition: to bully or force ones way into an event. In reference to the old movie performances of Humphrey Bogart. Example: ‘Homey, we don’t need no tickets all we got to do is Bogard our way into the place because ain’t nobody really on the door!’.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 16: Ample bosoms first, she hops the rail, bogarts her way past the cops, and bolts towards me.
2022		J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 219: I’m tryna Bogart him into lovin me back.

2. to retain something selfishly, esp. to monopolize or smoke too much of a cannabis cigarette; thus as n. bogart, a person who retains something selfishly.

1967		Maurer & Vogel Narcotics and Narcotic Addiction (4th edn) in Maurer Lang. Und. (1981) 284/2: bogart. To take more than one’s fair share, usually by violence.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972) 37: bogart [...] v. 1. (d) Take longer than necessary to pass a marijuana cigarette.
1972		O. Hawkins Ghetto Sketches 117: There go Fred Lee again, bo’gardin’ the smokes.
1979		Lette & Carey Puberty Blues 102: ‘Ey! Don’t bogart it Johnno.’ Johnno was a hog.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 230: bogard/bogart [...] 3. Take more than one’s share of (especially puffs of a marijuana cigarette).
1994		Rebennack & Rummel Under A Hoodoo Moon 197: Lawyers was bogarting all my money.
1997		(con. 1970s) G. Pelecanos King Suckerman (1998) 67: Are you Bogartin’ that shit back there?
1999		Guardian Rev. 9 July 13: Wake up and bogart those smoking riffs.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 111: When y’all used to bogart my tape deck, I liked that nigger’s music.
2005		A. Lovejoy Acid Alex xvi: I am a shameless digresser and the World’s Worst Bogart.

3. to waste time, to play around.

1972		‘Soulful Spider’ ‘Pimp in a Clothing Store’ in Milner & Milner (1972) 288: Now I hate to short-stop your whole conversation like this, you know, ain’t bogarting, but your stuff is right here. On our job, we don’t be shuckin’ and jivin’ with no malformies out in the street. We here.
1983		Eble Campus Sl. Mar. 1: bogart – goof off, not to do one’s share.

4. (US campus) to leave.

1996

Eble Sl. and Sociability 101: Farewells are often the equivalent of I must leave now and use various slang substitutes for leave. For example [...] gotta plus bogart, bolt, boogie, book [...] all of which mean ‘leave, depart’.

5. (US teen) to steal.

1998

M. Ferguson ‘Unstoppable Sl.’ in Columbia Missourian 19 Oct. 1A; 8A: bogart – to steal.

6. (US campus) to take something with someone else’s knowledge but without their approval.

2001

Eble Campus Sl. Fall 2: BOGART – take something with someone else’s knowledge but not approval.