Biron.
/ˈbʌɪərəʊ/ The proprietary name of a particular make of ball-point pen; also (with lower-case initial) applied loosely to any ball-point pen.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > ballpoint pen
ball-point pen1943
ball pen1946
Biro1947
ballpoint1959
rollerball1981
1947 Trade Marks Jrnl. 29 Oct. 660/2 (heading) Biro. Writing instruments and parts thereof, not included in other classes.
1948 ‘G. Orwell’ Let. 2 Jan. in Coll. Ess. (1968) IV. 393 Thanks ever so for sending the pen... It'll do just as well as a Biro.
1952 J. Cannan Body in Beck ii. 39 Price jumped and dropped his Biro pen.
1958 Oxf. Univ. Gaz. 1 Dec. 299/1 A table 7 ft. 6 in. long, and biro pens were installed.
1967 M. Drabble Jerusalem the Golden vii. 169 Even the sight of a broken biro on his windowsill was of interest to her.
Derivatives
ˈbiro v. (transitive) to write (something) with a biro.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > manner of writing > [verb (transitive)] > write with specific instrument
chalk1580
coal1605
pencil1673
charcoal1840
biro1962
1962 Observer 4 Mar. 13/2 Most White Papers, editorials and poems are now not penned, but biro'ed.
ˈbiroed adj. written with a biro.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > manner of writing > [adjective] > writing or written with specific instrument
pencilled1794
pencilling1806
stylographic1808
chalked1823
biroed1962
1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File i. 12 The biro'd message, ‘Inquiries third floor..’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.1947