Meaning of Buggins's turn | Babel Free

Definitions

A humorous, disparaging term for the appointment of a person by rotation or promotion, on the basis of length of service (it being that person's "turn") rather than merit or level of qualification.

British, idiomatic

Examples

“He will be appointed on the principle of Buggins's turn.”

“1919, Memories, John Fisher (reprinting a 1917 letter to him from an unnamed Privy Councillor) http://www.archive.org/stream/memoriesbyadmira00fishuoft#page/38/mode/2up I remembered your old saying "Some day the Empire will go down because it is Buggins's turn."'”

CEFR level