bucca

A New Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL. D.

bucca (not buccha), ae, f. [kindred with βύζω, βυκάνη; Fr. bouche].

I The cheek (puffed or filled out in speaking, eating, etc.; diff. from genae, the side of the face, the cheeks, and from mala, the upper part of the cheek under the eyes; v. Plin. 11, 37, 57, § 156 sqq.; mostly in plur.; class.): buccam implere, Cato ap. Gell. 2, 22, 29: sufflare buccas, Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 42: inflare, id. ib. 5, 6, 7: rumpere buccas, to write bombast , Pers. 5, 13: sufflare buccis, Mart. 3, 17, 4.—In violent anger (cf. in Gr. φυσᾶν τὰς γνάθους, δεινὰ φυσᾶν, etc.): quin illis Juppiter ambas Iratus buccas inflet, etc., * Hor. S. 1, 1, 21: pictus Gallus ... distortus, ejectā linguā, buccis fluentibus, Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 266; id. Red. in Sen. 6, 13: fluentes pulsataeque buccae, id. Pis. 11, 25 B. and K.: purpurissatae ( rouged ), Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 35.—In blowing the fire: buccā foculum excitat, Juv. 3, 262 al.—Hence,

b Dicere (scribere) quod or quidquid in buccam venit, a colloq. phrase, to speak ( write ) whatever comes uppermost , Cic. Att. 1, 12, 4; 7, 10 fin. ; 14, 7, 2; Mart. 12, 24, 5.— Also ellipt.: garrimus quidquid in buccam, Cic. Att. 12, 1, 2.—

B Meton.

1 One who fills his cheeks in speaking , a declaimer , bawler : Curtius et Matho buccae, Juv. 11, 34 (jactanticuli, qui tantum buccas inflant et nihil dicunt, Schol.); cf.: bucca loquax vetuli cinoedi, Mart. 1, 42, 13: homo durae buccae, Petr. 43, 3; so of a trumpeter : notaeque per oppida buccae, Juv. 3, 35.—

2 One who stuffs out his cheeks in eating , a parasite , Petr. 64, 12.—

3 A mouthful : bucca panis, Petr. 44, 2; Mart. 7, 20, 8; 10, 5, 5.—

II Transf.

A From men to animals; of croaking frogs, Plin. 11, 37, 65, § 173.—

B In gen., a cavity; of the knee-joint, Plin. 11, 45, 103, § 250.

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