Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to eat heartily.

1904		Laverton Mercury (Laverton, WA) 15 Jan. 3/3: ‘We can’t offer you a very flash feed, but we have plenty of tinned dog; you can bog into that’.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 3 June 4/8: Come up an’ bog yer grinders in / A Yankee bullick.
1932		I.L. Idriess Flynn of the Inland 212: On a strong side table were big plates of meat and vegetables. ‘Bog in!’ called the cook; and all hands ‘bogged in’.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 385: Bog in, it’s all on the house.
1965		R.H. Conquest Horses in Kitchen 35: The locals bogged into their sandwiches with pretended gusto.
1970		N. Beagley Up and Down Under 42: Stewed rabbit here also, better bog into that.
1974		D. Ireland Burn 91: Two four six eight, bog in don’ wait.
1922		C. Drew Rogues and Ruses (1923) 39: I [...] bogs into the scran.
1999		G. Seal Lingo 154: bogging is probably related to a convictism for working and must not be confused with bog in, meaning to eat heartily.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 28: bog in Work hard at something, often the eating of a meal. ANZ mid C20.
2019		C. Hammer Silver [ebook] And as if a starting gun has been fired, the kids bog in.

2. to work hard, to do anything energetically; thus as imper.

1908		Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Oct. 14/3: The enthusiasm of the barrackers was intense. The gins, in their excitement, rushed far ballers to ‘Bog into it, Cummera! Tear um out on the playing space and urged the dusky down white pfellar.’ [...] The Cummera boys bogged in with great zest, but to no purpose.
1912		Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Sept. 17: ‘Jimmie Pannikin’: Some queer immigrants have reached the North Coast of N.S.W.; but the limit came to light a few days ago. The boss told him to bog in and learn to milk, and the new arrival [...] said, ‘ [...] What abaht gitting me first lessons on a calf.’.
1918		V. Marshall Jail From Within (1969) 42: I paused to straighten my back. An angry shout from the warder [...] greeted my action. ‘Bog in there, you damn loafer.’.
1924		E.G. Murphy ‘Pink’ in Dryblower’s Verses 82: Somethin’ came / An got me in the game, / An’ so I bogged me frame / Inter these.
1955		J. Morrison Black Cargo 190: I worked like a son-of-a-gun, [...] It was like making me own home, and I bogged into it.
2003		see sense 1.

3. to interfere in.

1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 28 Aug. 4/8: ‘Gordstrikeme pink!’ growled the rorter, ‘if a crimson illegitamate ain’t bogged ’e’s body inter the pitch wot I possied at Kalgoorlie’.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Dec. 13/2: I want to bog into the wet sheep disturbance, and claim right of way on the grounds that (1) I am prepared to back my shearing tally for drinks [...], and (2) I took a hand in the formation of the Shearers’ Union in 1885.

4. to attack.

1903		Eve. Star (Boulder, WA) 16 Sept. 3/6: Cann was in the act of taking his coat off when witness told him to keep it on, that if he ‘bogged into him’ he could beat him with it on.
1915		Sun. Times (Perth) 5 Sept. 8: I ’opped over ther parapet, and bogged inter ther cows, yer orter see ’em goin’ like William Tell.

5. to get started.

1903		Kalgoorlie Miner (WA) 17 Sept. 2/1: Cann was taking off his coat and I told him not to, but to bog in.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Oct. 24/4: Governments are yelling to the farmer to bog in and grow extra wheat next season.
1952		G. Meek ‘A Clean Slate’ Station Days in Maoriland 90: He’d stepped up when the shearin’ roll was read, / And bogged in with Ball and Burgon and had rung the Bunga shed.

6. to not stand on any ceremony.

1957		‘Nino Culotta’ They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 109: I would have liked a plate and a fork, but I bogged in, with the others.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 10: Bog in: An invitation to sit down at the dinner table and delicately partake of the excellent comestibles prepared by one’s hostess.
2006		P. Carey Theft 190: two four six eight bog in don’t wait.