bust 'em up

The phrase "bust 'em up" is widely used across Hawaii by locals of all ages to describe the act of laughing uncontrollably or cracking up at a joke, a funny situation, or someone's ridiculous behavior. It is appropriate in casual, everyday conversations among friends, family, and coworkers, but would be out of place in formal or professional settings where standard English is expected. Linguistically, it stems from the English slang "bust up" (meaning to burst into laughter), adapted into Hawaiian Pidgin with the addition of the common object pronoun "'em" (them/it), reflecting the dialect's tendency to use transitive phrasing even for internal emotional reactions.

Manuel stood under the dripping blue tarp at the Hilo farmers market, his arms crossed tight against his chest. The rain was coming down sideways, soaking the cuffs of his jeans, and the line for the smoked meat plates wasn't moving an inch. Ahead of him, Dante and Kristi were huddled over a phone, completely ignoring the fact that the gap between them and the next customer was growing by the minute.

"Eh, you guys going move or what?" Manuel grumbled, shifting his weight as a puddle formed around his boots. "I not standing out here in the pouring rain just for watch you two stare at one screen."

Dante finally looked up, wiping a raindrop off his nose, his shoulders shaking. "Sorry, man, but you gotta see this video Kristi found of her boss trying for back up his Tacoma. We was just watching the guy hit the same rubbish bin three times. Made us bust 'em up so bad we forgot we was in line." Manuel just scowled, muttering under his breath about how nobody takes buying lunch seriously anymore.