bonusn.int.
/ˈbəʊnəs/, U.S. /ˈboʊnəs/ A. n.
I. A sum of money or other benefit paid or awarded over and above what is normally due as remuneration.
1. A payment, reward, or prize; esp. an additional or one-off payment for work done or a service performed; a sum of money or other benefit offered as an encouragement or inducement; (sometimes euphemistic) a bribe, a ‘sweetener’.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > illegal payment or exaction > [noun] > bribe
gift1382
handy-dandyc1390
pricec1400
bud1436
bribe?a1439
golden (also silver) keyc1450
fee1549
golden shower1589
oil of angels1592
sugar-plum1608
bribera1616
palm oil1625
greasinga1661
sop1665
sweetbreada1670
vail1687
douceur1739
sweetener1741
bonus1759
buckshee1773
smear-gelt1785
grease1823
boodle?1856
soap1860
ice1887
palm-grease1897
poultice1902
fix1929
dropsy1930
pay-off1930
drop1931
oil1935
squeeze-pidgin1946
sling1948
bung1958
back-hander1960
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > [noun] > extra payments
lowancea1325
bonus1759
understanding1826
reach1851
talent money1859
trip money1891
poundage1892
proficiency pay1906
loading1937
weighting1946
incentive1948
holiday loading1986
1759 London Chron. 27 Feb. 201/2 For by employments, contracts, bonus's, staff-officers, navy, army, victualling, &c. &c. there are more retained than ever.
1763 in Catal. Prints: Polit. & Personal Satires (Brit. Mus.) (1883) IV. 245 To tax my Cyder to make good Douceurs & Bonusses.
1785 C. Macklin Man of World iii. 37 Got my snack of the cloathing..the contracts, the lottery teeckets, and aw the poleetical bonusses.
1802 Edinb. Rev. 1 104 The bonus of one half per cent. interest will not mend the matter.
1808 W. Scott Let. 25 Oct. in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1837) II. vi. 207 The Editor..makes a point of every contributor receiving this Bonus.
1845 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation i. i. 72 No one, except their owners, would occupy them [sc. baronial residences] unless tempted by the offer of a considerable..bonus.
1876 J. A. Garfield Wks. (1883) II. 320 If the island of Cuba were offered to us..and $100,000,000 in gold were offered as a bonus for its acceptance, I would unhesitatingly vote to decline the offer.
1901 N.Z. Dept. Agric.: 9th Rep. 68 The termination of the bonus for killing rabbits that was paid to the Maoris..has been followed by poisoning.
1949 Code of Federal Regulations: Title 10–Title 13 (Division of Federal Register, U.S.) 12/1 The bonus of $10,000 offered in this section is a bonus to encourage the discovery of new uranium resources.
2010 Independent Extra (Nexis) 28 Oct. (Viewspaper section) 10 Google raised its bonus for discovering bugs in the Chrome browser to £3,133.70 this summer.
2. A portion of the profits or surplus capital of a company, fund, etc., distributed to stakeholders at periodic intervals, or at the end of a specified period; spec. (a) an additional dividend paid to the shareholders of a company; (b) a portion of the profits of an insurance company distributed to qualifying policyholders, typically annually or when the policy matures.reversionary bonus, terminal bonus: see first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > profit > [noun] > profit to be shared > share of profits > received by individual > type of
bonus1759
interim1930
carried interest1986
1759 London Evening Post 6 Dec. A Lottery Ticket..to be given by Way of Bonus to every 100l. which will make a Lottery of 80,000 Tickets.
1797 T. Fry New Syst. Finance 93 He would not deprive a set of men of the bonus, that might want it more than himself.
1824 P. Watt Compar. Tables Rates of Life Assurance Scotl. 26 If any bonus has been declared as effeiring to said policy, the value of such bonus must be added to the sum contained in the assurance.
1842 J. A. Beaumont Thoughts & Details Life Insurance Offices 45 Upon the following septennial meeting in 1836, their surplus was..so trifling, that they were unable to declare any bonus at all.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 133 Every proprietor received as a bonus a quantity of stock equal to that which he held.
1861 Sat. Rev. 30 Nov. 553 To share, in the shape of interest and bonuses, in the profits realized.
1930 Times 11 Jan. 16/2 The directors of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation announce a reduction in the annual bonus from £2 to £1 per share.
1986 What Mortgage June 14/4 The remainder will be made up of bonuses added to your policy over the years by the insurance company.
2004 Independent (Nexis) 9 Mar. The society's plan was to cut part of the bonus paid to those with guaranteed policies.
3. A sum of money or other benefit granted to an employee in addition to his or her usual wages, typically as a reward for good performance, as a share in profits, or as a seasonal gift.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > gift or present > [noun] > something given over what is earned or purchased
bonus1834
lagniappe1849
pilón1877
brata1888
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > [noun] > tip
bountethc1440
gratitude1535
vail1605
gratulance1608
gratilitya1616
spill1675
baksheesh1686
simony1707
perquisite1721
tip1755
grace1769
buckshee1773
mancia1798
bonus1834
pouch1880
gravy1910
étrenne1928
sling1948
small1962
toke1971
1834 Hampshire Advertiser & Salisbury Guardian 31 May He had been hired at certain wages, with the bonus of a bushel of barley and a pound note at Michaelmas.
1865 H. Fawcett Man. Polit. Econ. (ed. 2) ii. ix. 275 One-half the remaining surplus shall be distributed amongst the labourers, and..each individual share of this bonus should be proportioned to the aggregate wages which he has earned.
1894 New S. Wales Parl. Deb.: Legislative Assembly 7 Mar. 1338/2 Not only has the salary of the tramway engineer not been reduced, but last year he received a bonus of £100.
1924 Manch. Guardian 30 Sept. 2/3 (advt.) Assistant inspectors of taxes... £160-£500, with bonus.
1972 Age (Melbourne) 14 Dec. 1/7 Victorian painters will receive a 17½ per cent. loading of their three-weeks holiday pay as a Christmas bonus.
2008 G. Anderson Cityboy (2009) vii. 333 People stopped banging on about how massive their bonuses were going to be.
4. Chiefly New Zealand. A subsidy or financial reward provided by the government to support particular industries, esp. one payable on the export of certain goods. Now historical.
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1837 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 61/1 It [sc. the government] loses at present L.800,000 paid as a bonus to the beet growers, over and above what it pays as a drawback upon refined beet sugar; for, most preposterously, this article receives the same bonus upon exportation as the colonial sugar which had paid duty.
1876 J. M. Swank Amer. Iron Trade 12 In 1873 the government of New Zealand offered..a bonus of $1 per hundred to be paid on cured fish, dry or pickled, exported from the colony for consumption abroad.
1903 N.Z. Parl. Deb. 125 537/1 Mr. Buchanan (Wairarapa) called attention to the item of £700 as bonus on the importation of canned and cured fish.
1976 G. L. Pearce Scots of N.Z. viii. 111 In 1881 the Government offered a bonus of £500 for the first export of fifty tons of cheese.
2007 I. Hunter Age of Enterprise v. 98 A joint venture of Australian and local business interests to pursue the much-needed manufacture of sugar in 1882, successfully winning the government bonus at the New Zealand Sugar Company on Auckland's North Shore.
II. Extended uses.
5. Something which functions as a gift or reward for doing something; a means of encouraging or inducing a particular type of behaviour.
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the mind > will > motivation > [noun] > incitement or instigation > that which incites or instigates
prickleOE
pritchOE
alighting1340
brodc1375
bellowsc1386
pricka1387
motivec1390
prompting1402
preparativec1450
stirmentc1460
incentive?a1475
fomenta1500
farda1522
instigation1526
pointing1533
swinge1548
spur1551
whetstone1551
goad1567
promptitude1578
alarm1587
inducement1593
solicitor1594
incitement1596
inflammation1597
instance1597
excitement1604
moving spirit1604
heart-blood1606
inflamer1609
rouser1611
stimulator1614
motioner1616
incensivea1618
incitative1620
incitation1622
whettera1625
impulsivea1628
excitation1628
incendiary1628
dispositive1629
fomentationa1631
switch1630
stirrer1632
irritament1634
provocative1638
impetus1641
driving force1642
driving power1642
engagement1642
firer1653
propellant1654
fomentary1657
impulse1660
urgency1664
impeller1686
fillip1699
shove1724
incitive1736
stimulative1747
bonus1787
stimulus1791
impellent1793
stimulant1794
propulsion1800
instigant1833
propulsive1834
motive power1836
evoker1845
motivity1857
afflatus1865
flip1881
urge1882
agent provocateur1888
will to power1896
a shot in the arm1922
motivator1929
driver1971
co-driver1993
1787 Brit. Mercury (Hamburg) 7 May 154 Translations of the sacred Members of the Trading Board, and promotions of sons and relations, is to be the bonus for such said episcopal attendance at the Board of Trade.
1795 Tribune 11 Apr. 113 It [sc. Valenciennes] was to be one of the bonuses by which he [sc. the Emperor of Germany] was to be drawn into this commercial negociation for human blood.
1805 Ann. Reg. 1803 7/2 We had surrendered Martinique, &c. as a bonus not to violate the peace.
1813 Examiner 17 May 319/1 As a bonus..the old gentleman engaged to pay off my debts.
1829 T. Carlyle in Foreign Rev. 3 117 A sort of bait and bonus to Satan.
1976 F. E. Katz Structuralism in Sociol. vii. 187 It is as though the nurse receives the right to engage in her traditional tasks as a bonus for accepting second-class citizenship in the dominant medical system.
2018 Dunmow & Stansted Observer (Nexis) 25 Jan. 56 He'll train with the first team—..that was a little bonus for him having done so well in the academy.
6. An extra or unexpected advantage; an incidental benefit. Frequently in added bonus.
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1940 Bakersfield Californian 11 Nov. 9/5 You don't have to be a giant-brain to enjoy American Tangle Towns, it's as simple as a, b, c, with an added bonus in excitement and historical drama.
1962 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 30 Aug. 11/4 These thigh highs have an added bonus by providing extra warmth as the weather gets colder.
1976 S. M. Gault Dict. Shrubs in Colour 127/1 Frequently called the Butterfly bush because of the attraction the flower have for butterflies, thus providing an extra bonus.
1990 W. A. Bacchus Mission in Mufti vi. 105 President Médici's..competence was a bonus in that he..may have inspired the confidence he needed to press reforms upon the reassembled Congress.
2000 Caterer & Hotelkeeper 25 May 56/3 I'm not here to be a TV star... That's a bonus, but my 300% priority is cooking.
2004 Nat. Health Nov. 89/1 Defizzed Coca-Cola, for reasons yet to be determined, has the added bonus of settling your stomach.
7. Basketball. An extra free throw; = bonus free throw at Compounds 1c. Also: a situation in which a bonus free throw may be awarded; = bonus situation at Compounds 1c.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > basketball > [noun] > types of shot or ball
free throw1888
foul shot1902
jump shot1909
jump ball1924
pop shot1933
jumper1937
set shot1940
lay-up1948
fallaway1949
bonus1955
hook-shot1957
sky-hook1959
buzzer beater1965
brick1971
spot-up1992
1955 Sunday Times (Cumberland, Maryland) 30 Jan. 26/2 In the second half Fort Hill missed five chances for a bonus try..and made good but one bonus.
1965 Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Daily Jrnl. 13 Feb. 9/1 The hosts..didn't get into the bonus until the final minute of play.
1966 Oshkosh (Wisconsin) Daily Northwestern 5 Mar. 9/3 Koch had a charity chance to win the game... He missed a bonus.
1986 Washington Post (Nexis) 30 Nov. d8 Iowa's Lohaus was fouled... He made the first foul shot but missed the bonus.
2010 A. Battista et al. Beyond Rules 65 The trailing team needs to get their opponent into the bonus and onto the foul line.
B. int.
colloquial (originally U.S.). Used to express delight when something unexpectedly pleasing or advantageous occurs.
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1991 P. Munro Slang U. 42 Bonus!, Great! Bonus, dude!
1998 D. Hecht Skull Session xvi. 111 If you want to sound like an airhead surfer nowadays, you've got to say bonus!
2008 Wall St. Jrnl. 11 July a13/3 Mr. Durbin's bill calls on the CFTC to do more ‘investigation’ of the market, and (bonus!) offers to supply that agency with the funds to hire a whole 100 new employees.
2015 Time Out London 25 Aug. 90/3 Plus, there's a gospel choir on stage—bonus!
Compounds
C1. attributive.
a. In senses in branch A. I., as bonus dividend, bonus payment, bonus share, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > share > types of shares
bonus share1823
preference share1842
preferred share1842
qualification shares1846
pref1849
financial1864
founder's-shares1889
preference1890
preferred1891
ordinary1898
participation1916
equity1930
leader1938
Euroequity1969
small cap1984
1823 Caledonian Mercury 25 Aug. Doubts having arisen respecting the legality of the Dutch loan, the consequence of the bonus tickets being attached to the bonus.
1867 C. Walford Insurance Guide & Hand Bk. (ed. 2) iv. i. 281 In all matters of bonus calculation the ‘cooking’ should be strictly guarded against, not to say constituted a penal offence!
1883 Law Times Rep. 49 149/1 He had accepted certain bonus shares, as they are called—that is, shares which were given him free from calls.
1905 Scots Law Times 12 Aug. 293/2 To pay the bonus dividend, the directors appropriated £125,000 of the reserve fund.
1916 Mich. Alumnus June 465 The charges that scientific management..depends entirely on the use of a stop watch and some method of bonus payment.
1935 Economist 9 Mar. 554/2 Our net new business..was about £28,000 less than in the preceding year which, as you know, was our bonus year.
2011 Times 12 Nov. 63/2 Last year RBS's bonus payout was £950 million, but it is understood to be half that this year.
b. Designating something provided as an additional benefit to a buyer of a particular product, as bonus gift, bonus item, etc. In later use often: spec. designating an additional piece of audio or video material, digital content, etc., provided or made available to a purchaser or subscriber, as bonus content, bonus track, etc.
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1895 Cornishman 7 Nov. 2/3 (advt.) A splendid free bonus gift with each Watch.
1926 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 13 Aug. 13/4 (advt.) You select your own bonus items.
1948 Life 9 Feb. 3/1 With every two Selections..you get—free—a Bonus Book of modern or classic literature.
1984 Wisconsin State Jrnl. 4 Mar. 15/5 (advt.) Six hot new music videotracks..plus two more bonus tracks from ‘Olivia's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2’.
1987 Changing Times Jan. 122/1 6-month introductory membership, with free bonus Guide.
2000 Big Issue 20 Mar. 27/4 This re-release of their last album features a bonus CD with all extra tracks on it.
2014 Bristol Post (Nexis) 13 Jan. 14 Whenever you see the AR logo next to a story and photo, just scan the photograph to get your bonus content.
c. Basketball. Designating an extra free throw awarded to a fouled player, as bonus free throw, bonus shot, etc.; (also) designating a rule whereby or situation in which an extra free throw may be awarded to a fouled player due to the opposing team having committed more than a certain number of fouls in the period, as bonus rule, bonus situation, etc.
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1952 Kerrville (Texas) Mountain Sun 7 Feb. 3/5 This season the northern division of the PCC is experimenting with a bonus free throw in case the initial foul shot is missed.
1952 N.Y. Times 7 Dec. s4/2 The application of the new bonus-rule did not seem to meet with popular approval.
1972 D. Wolf Foul! xxiii. 327 Kerr once more bungled the ‘bonus’ foul rule. In regulation play, each foul after the fourth carries a bonus shot. But, in overtime, it's each foul after the third.
2001 S. L. Simpson Coaching Girls' Basketball iv. 55 Too many team fouls in a quarter or half will put the opposing team in a bonus situation.
2011 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 17 Dec. b2/1 But he didn't connect on the front-end of a bonus free throw opportunity... Freeman rebounded and outletted quickly for the Bears.
C2.
Bonus Army n. U.S. (now historical) a group of veterans demonstrating in order to demand the payment of a bonus owed to them by the government for their service; spec. the group of First World War veterans and their supporters who demonstrated in Washington, D.C. in 1932. The veterans of the Bonus Army of 1932 had previously been awarded bonuses in the form of certificates redeemable as of 1945; they demonstrated for several weeks in Washington, D.C. for immediate redemption of these certificates, before being violently driven away by the United States Army on President Hoover's orders.
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1921 Christian Sci. Monitor 9 Apr. 2/5 (headline) ‘Bonus Army’ to march on Lansing... In view of indications that action on the soldiers' bonus in Michigan may be delayed.., Detroit veterans..are preparing to march.
1932 Oelwine (Iowa) Daily Reg. 19 May 6/6 Force was used here early today by the Pacific northwest ‘Bonus Army’ in securing transportation facilities for the journey onto Washington.
1988 B. Kuklick Good Ruler ii. 41 The greatest damage to his [sc. President Hoover's] public esteem was done by his handling of the ‘Bonus Army’.
2015 R. Young Dissent xxiii. 519 If the protestors are removed, it ends the demonstration. The Bonus Army experienced this in 1932.
bonus baby n. U.S. Sport (originally and chiefly Baseball) an athlete who is paid a bonus to sign his or her first professional contract.
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1949 Corona (Calif.) Daily Independent 6 Apr. 2/2 (caption) Frank House, $75,000 Detroit bonus baby, is one of the best ‘finds’ of the last decade.
1972 D. Wolf Foul! xxii. 290 Behind Fox was 6′ 10″, 250-pound bonus-baby Neal Walk. The Suns picked the Florida All-American in the first round.
2016 Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 27 June David Clyde, a $125,000, 18-year-old bonus baby with the Rangers, pitched five innings, struck out eight and allowed one hit in his first major league start.
bonus-fed adj. supported or rewarded by bonuses (in various senses).
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1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Feb. 2/2 Bring a bonus-fed production from the West into competition with it.
1907 Chamber of Commerce Jrnl. Oct. 286/1 The Convention really only converted a bounty-supported, bonus-fed trade in sugar into free trade in sugar.
2002 G. Sernovitz Contrarians (2003) ii. i. 81 Talking about the interesting and the relevant, sports and the market and bonus-fed apartment strategies.
bonus issue n. originally British an issue of extra shares to existing shareholders, in proportion to the shares already held; = scrip issue n. (b) at scrip n.4 Compounds 2.Later also known as capitalization issue.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > specific operations or arrangements > share-issuing activities
scrip issue1841
public offer1854
bonus issue1868
inscription1884
public offering1889
capitalization issue1902
introduction1929
follow-on1985
1868 Daily News 14 Apr. 1 (advt.) The Directors of the Corporation of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company have made a Call of £5 10s. per share on the shares of the bonus issue of 1867.
1901 Speaker 22 June 330/2 The Vickers Maxim Company has sprung a very agreeable surprise on its proprietors by the announcement of a bonus issue of one new share to every two now held.
2004 S. Sundararajan Bk. Financial Terms (ed. 3) 19 Following a bonus issue, though the number of total shares increases, the proportional ownership of shareholders does not change.
bonus point n. an extra point awarded, earned, or scored for performing a particular action or fulfilling a particular requirement; also figurative.
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1913 Engin. & Contracting 28 May 1/1 It would be well to study the units of work with a view to assigning bonus ‘points’ to each unit.
1942 Corona (Calif.) Daily Independent 5 Feb. 1/2 Extra..points are earned on each..subscription payment... These special bonus points can only be earned..from February 2.
1970 Times 13 Jan. 8/3 The usual mishmash of buzzers, bonus points and quickies to confuse the looker-on.
2000 Irish Emigrant 27 Mar. 42/4 Anthony Horgan ran in Con's fourth try in injury time..to give the victors the bonus point.
2011 J. Golding Deadlock: Bk. iii. xvii. 248 Hey, you get bonus points for escaping on your own.
bonus scheme n. (a) a system whereby a life assurance company pays a share of the company's annual profits to policyholders in addition to the sum assured; a with-profits scheme (cf. with-profits at with prep. 24d) (obsolete); (b) a system of payment whereby an employee receives extra money or benefits based on how well he or she performs, typically in relation to company profits.
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1849 Glasgow Herald 15 Oct. 3/2 The Company have lately added a Participation or Bonus Scheme... The whole profits of this Branch of the Business are to be divided annually among the Assured.
1869 Inquirer & Commerc. News (Perth, Austral.) 28 July As an example of the bonus scheme, we read in..The Times..that Messrs. E. Ripley and Son, dyers..resolved to give all their workpeople a share in the profits realised, without requiring from them any contribution to the capital of the firm.
1908 Post Mag. & Insurance Monitor 12 Sept. 722/2 Proposers have a choice of several bonus schemes and the certainty of a careful administration of their funds.
1918 Sibley Jrnl. Engin. Nov. 18/1 Under the bonus scheme.., bonus shall not be paid unless both quantity and quality fulfil the requirements.
2009 J. L. Hougaard Introd. Allocation Rules i. 10 Designing such bonus schemes turns out to be rather delicate since it is important not to give too much incentive to overly individualistic behavior because employees often have to..assist each other in teams.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bonusv.
/ˈbəʊnəs/, U.S. /ˈboʊnəs/ transitive. To give a bonus to; to assist, promote, reward, or influence by means of bonuses.
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1838 Globe (Washington, D.C.) 26 Mar. He associates himself with a knot of persons..for the purpose of begging, wheedling, boring, or bonusing, some legislative body of ‘easy virtue’ out of a bank charter.
1877 Grip (Toronto) 23 June By bonusing this road of mine You'll make with you to stay The traffic which the Grand Trunk line Rolls off another way.
1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Feb. 2 To stimulate American exports by bonusing production.
1935 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 14 Sept. 8/3 Agriculture would have to be bonused.
1966 D. Skirrow It won't get you Anywhere x. 49 He paid high and bonused his workers right up to the eyebrows.
2015 Sun (Nexis) 18 Dec. 13 I presume..that all the senior management were bonused on their profits no matter how fraudulently they were obtained.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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