bobn.1
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ I. Senses relating to a knot or cluster, and extended uses.† 2. † 3. An ornamental pendant; an ear-drop. Obsolete.† 9. An insect:
1. A bunch or cluster (of leaves, flowers, fruit, etc.). northern. Still in Scotland the name for a bunch, nosegay, or small bouquet of flowers.
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the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > floriculture and flower arranging > [noun] > flower arrangement > bouquet
bobc1400
posya1500
poesy1565
bough-pot1585
ramilletec1620
bouquet1717
tisty-tosty1825
booky1842
bokay1847
shower bouquet1891
porte-bouquet1900
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 206 In his on honde he hade a holyn bobbe.
c1400 MS. Lincoln A. i. 17. f. 42 (Halliw.) With wondere grete bobbis of grapes, for a mane myȝte unnethez bere ane of them.
1483 Cath. Angl. 36 A Bob of grapys, botrus.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 156 A bob of cherys.
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Niv/1 A Bob of flowers, floretum... A Bobbe of leaues, frondetum.
1603 Thre Prestis of Peblis (Charteris) (1920) 30 The King the bob of birks can waue.
1807 J. Hogg Mountain Bard 198 (Jam.) The rose an' hawthorn sweet I'll twine, To make a bobb for thee.
1887 N.E.D. at Bob Mod. Sc. To gather a bob of primroses.
a. A rounded mass or lump at the end of a rod or the like; a knob. Obsolete in general sense.
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the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part > knob
knob?a1425
knottle?a1500
bob1601
node1681
nub1696
umbo1753
button1758
knule1824
onion1825
umbonation1872
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 252 [Lobsters'] hornes..haue a round point or bob at the end.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xiv. 66 A Rammer is a bob of wood at the other end to ramme home the Powder.
a1659 F. Osborne Misc. (1673) 589 Instead of an unsightly Bob, to form a sharp comely Bone.
b. spec. The weight at the end of a pendulum.
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the world > space > relative position > support > hanging or suspension > [noun] > that which hangs or is suspended > a pendulum > parts of
bob1753
pendulum rod1753
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > [noun] > swinging or oscillation of suspended body > that which > pendulum > weight at end of
bob1753
1753 Philos. Trans. 1751–2 (Royal Soc.) 47 519 A pendulum..at the end of which is the bob or weight.
1828 O. Gregory Hutton's Course Math. (ed. 9) II. 222 A portable pendulum, made of painted tape with a brass bob at the end.
1862 H. Spencer First Princ. ii. xii. §105. 353 A pendulum..though unaffected in its movements by a change in the weight of the bob, alters its rate of oscillation when taken to the equator.
c. The plummet or weight on a plumb-line; the shifting weight on the graduated arm of a steelyard (dialect); a beam or other oscillating part in a pumping engine (dialect).
ΚΠ
1832 Mrs. Opie in Life (1854) 288 There is here the largest steam engine, perhaps, in Europe; when I entered the room, I went up to see the immense beam or bob.
1867 E. B. Denison Astron. without Math. (ed. 3) 16 Seeing how much the plumb bob is pulled aside by the attraction of a mountain.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 110 Bob (Cornwall), a triangular frame, by means of which the horizontal motion imparted from an engine is transformed into a vertical motion of the pump-rods in a shaft.
d. A short sleigh-runner. North American.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on runners > [noun] > runner of
runner1747
skate1781
hob1788
ox-runner1834
bob1857
1857 Knickerbocker 49 67 The ‘stage’ consisted of a rickety pair of bobs [etc.].
1889 J. S. Farmer Americanisms Bob or Bob Sled or Bob Sleigh, a sleigh used in the West for conveying large timber, its special characteristic being two pairs of bobs or short runners.
1927 Atlantic Monthly Mar. 335 We sat on some boards nailed on the front bob of his old bobsled.
1964 Canad. Geogr. Jrnl. Mar. 86/2 Many carriages could have their wheels and sled runners or ‘bobs’ bolted on to replace them in winter.
e. Abbreviation of bobsled n.; also attributive, as bob-run. Originally U.S.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > tobogganing > [noun] > toboggan or luge
toboggan1829
bobsleigh1841
bob1856
coaster1869
bobsled1886
bobsleigh1894
luge1905
boblet1914
saucer sled1951
skeleton bob1954
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > tobogganing > [noun] > slope or run
coast1775
bob1856
toboggan1878
toboggan slide1878
run1879
chute1884
ice run1900
piste1917
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on runners > [noun] > for transport of goods
sleadc1374
draya1387
sled1388
slipe1488
slid1513
drag1576
sledge1684
skid1712
paddock1738
sleigh1748
train1783
bobsled1796
bobsleigh1841
bob1856
stone-boat1859
travois1873
slider1888
bobs1910
1856 M. Y. Jackson Diary in Minn. Farmers' Diaries (1939) 145 Went to Kinnik-kinnik yesterday with the bobs. Had to stay over night & return to day with part of a load of lumber.
1887 Harper's Mag. Dec. 113/2 The Captain's sleigh went townward toward evening, and the butcher's ‘bob’ tore an ugly groove along the lower edge.
1888 Harper's Mag. May 973/1 Telling the little ones how they might have been mangled by one of the swift ‘bobs’.
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 63/2 Bob Woods..Bob Runners..Bob Sleigh gearing..Bob Beams.
1906 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 13 Jan. 2/3 Robertson's bob crashed with terrific momentum into a horse and cutter.
1906 N.Y. Evening Post 19 May 9 The same spruce and hemlock logs drawn on bobs.
1927 Observer 18 Dec. 9/4 Long and well-made bob-runs.
1963 Times 1 Feb. 4/3 The No. 2 British bob was the first to crash.
1963 Times 7 Feb. 3/7 The fastest time ever recorded on the St. Moritz bob run.
f. In plural form = preceding sense. U.S.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on runners > [noun] > for transport of goods
sleadc1374
draya1387
sled1388
slipe1488
slid1513
drag1576
sledge1684
skid1712
paddock1738
sleigh1748
train1783
bobsled1796
bobsleigh1841
bob1856
stone-boat1859
travois1873
slider1888
bobs1910
1910 S. E. White Adventures of Bobby Orde xvii. 194 At last Bobby saw..a magnificent bobs that had not before appeared.
1910 S. E. White Adventures of Bobby Orde xvii. 195 If the bobs upset, or the horse went too fast.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > jewellery of specific shape or form > [noun] > pendant
pendantc1400
pendicle1488
drop1502
pennon1546
pendeloque1623
bob1648
pendulea1699
pear drop1785
dropperc1825
tassel-drop1849
hanger-
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. (1655) xii. 57 Their bare..brests are covered with bobs hanging from their chaines of pearls.
1734 H. Fielding Don Quixote in Eng. i. iv. 11 Two Bobs that my Wife wears in her Ears.
1734 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) I. 432 A green diamond to hang as a bob to her necklace.
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer iii. 51 My cousin Con's necklaces, bobs and all.
4.
a. A knot or bunch of hair such as that in which women sometimes do up their back hair; also, a short bunch or tassel-like curl: cf. bob-curl n. at Compounds.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > coil or knot of hair
bob1688
chignon1783
puff1839
krobylos1850
cadogan1852
waterfall1859
cob1865
roly-poly1866
Grecian coil1874
Psyche knot1874
catogan1885
coil1888
pouf1893
bun1894
French roll1910
neck-roll1920
Grecian knot1931
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. xviii. §118. 463 A Peruque..with a Curled Foretop, and Bobs. This is a kind of Travelling Wig, having the side or bottom locks turned up into Bobs or Knots, tied up with Ribbons.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. xviii. §118. 463 A Campaign Wig, hath Knots or Bobs (or a Dildo on each side) with a Curled Forehead.
1887 N.E.D. at Bob Mod. The old lady has her hair twisted up in a bob.
b. bob-peruke n., bob-periwig n., bob-wig n., a wig having the bottom locks turned up into ‘bobs’ or short curls, as opposed to a ‘full-bottomed wig’.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > wig > types of > bob-wig
bob-periwig1685
bob-peruke1685
bob-wig1685
bob1688
bob-jerom1782
1685 London Gaz. No. 2076/4 John Rixon..wears a light bob Wigg.
1686 London Gaz. No. 2175/4 A light coloured close Coat and a brownish Bob-Periwig.
1688 T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia ii. i. 21 Bob Peruke.
1753 Scots Mag. Oct. 490/2 I..procured a brown bob perriwig.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge ii. 244 His three-cornered hat and bob-wig.
c. Often abbreviated to bob.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > wig > types of > bob-wig
bob-periwig1685
bob-peruke1685
bob-wig1685
bob1688
bob-jerom1782
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. xviii. §118. 463 A short Bobb, a Head of Hair, is a Wig that hath short locks, and a hairy Crown.
1704 R. Steele Lying Lover iv. 40 What shall I do for Powder for this smart Bob.
1752 S. Foote Taste i. 17 Let your Bob be bushy, and your Bow low.
1814 M. Edgeworth Patronage II. xx. 194 A decent powdered Doctor's bob.
5.
a. A horse's tail docked short; a short knob-like tail.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [noun] > tail > docked
bob-tail1667
bob1711
1711 London Gaz. No. 4934/4 A high bob unusual in Horses.
1722 P. Dudley Moose-deer in Philos. Trans. 1720–21 (Royal Soc.) 31 166 He has a very short Bob for a Tail.
b. A style of cutting women's hair short and even all round. (See bob v.5 2.) Also, hair cut in this way.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > cut or cropped > for women
Eton crop1925
bob1926
windblown bob1933
bubble cut1948
urchin haircut1951
garçon1956
1926 J. Galsworthy Silver Spoon iii. xi. 312 Her hair, again in its more natural ‘bob’, gleamed lustrously under the light.
1940 M. Dickens Mariana v. 141 ‘Haven't you cut it rather short?’..‘Oh no, 's a lovely bob.’
6. A knob, knot, or bunch of coloured yarn, ribbons or the like; a weight on the tail of a kite.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [noun] > knot, bow, or rosette
bow1547
roset1675
bob1761
rosette1776
dogvane1778
tie1837
society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > other toys > [noun] > kite > specific part
messenger1746
bob1848
1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. xxix. 142 An old..chair..fringed around with..worsted bobs.
1837 J. Hogg Tales & Sketches III. 265 Capering with her bobbs of crimson ribbons.
1848 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 1st Ser. Notices 1 To delay attaching the bobs until the second attempt at flying the kite.
1861 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. Sc. Life ii. 121 A broad Scottish blue bonnet, with a red ‘bob’ on the top.
7. A bunch of lob-worms threaded on pieces of worsted, somewhat like a small mop, used to catch eels. Called in East Anglia a bab or clod. Also U.S. (See quot. 18832.) Cf. bobbing n.1 3.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > bait > bait for eels
bob1648
blob1874
eel-bob1883
1648 H. Hexham Groot Woorden-boeck Peuren, to Take Eeles in the night with a bob of wormes.
1669 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ (1681) 260 When you perceive by moving of your Bob, that the Eels do tug at it.
1874 A. Bathgate Colonial Experiences xvii. 243 The eels bolt the ‘bob’, and are readily pulled out of the water, the same bait serving again and again.
1882 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 99 It is only occasionally it takes the ‘bab’, the bunch of worms strung on worsted with which the eel-babber works.
1883 G. C. Davies Norfolk Broads (1884) xxxi. 243 The babber sits in his boat through the night, with a short rod in each hand, and every now and then lifts the bab a little.
1883 Cent. Mag. July 383/1 The ‘bob’, which is formed by tying three hooks together, back to back, and covering their shanks with a portion of a deer's tail.
8. A small roundish or knob-like body:† a. A seed vessel of flax or other plants. Obsolete.
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the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > seed > seed-vessel or pericarp > [noun] > capsule
heada1398
boll?a1500
bladder1578
bollen1578
bullion1589
bob1615
hive1665
seed box1677
capsule1693
amphora1821
pyxis1821
pyxidium1832
pore capsule1878
1615 G. Markham Eng. House-wife (1668) ii. v. 132 The round bells or bobs which contain the seed [of flax].
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Hemp Breaking off from the stalks, the round bells or Bobbs that contain the seed.
b. A lump or nodule of clay used by potters.
ΚΠ
1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. iii. 124 Pieces of clay called Bobbs for the ware to stand on, to keep it from sticking to the Shragers.
1866 W. D. Howells Venetian Life iii. 35 A small pot of glazed earthen-ware having an earthen bob.
a. The grub or larva of a beetle used as bait for fish.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > bait > worms and grubs
angletwitcheOE
wormc1320
codwormc1450
redwormc1450
gentle1577
touchangle1581
bob1589
Jack1601
dug1608
codbait1620
caddis-worm1627
caddis1653
cockspur1653
lob-worm1653
marsh worm1653
gilt tail1656
cadew1668
cad1674
ash-grub1676
clap-bait1681
whitebait1681
earth-bob1696
jag-tail1736
buzz1760
treachet1787
angleworm1788
cow-turd-bob1798
palmer bob1814
slob1814
angledog1832
caddis-bait1833
sedge-worm1839
snake feeder1861
hellgrammite1866
easworm1872
cow-dung bob1880
snake doctora1883
1589 ‘Pasquill of England’ Returne of Pasquill sig. Diiij It is neither losse of liuing nor life, nor so blind a bob as Blind Asse, that will scare a Caualiero.
a1609 J. Dennys Secrets of Angling (1613) ii. xlvii. sig. D2v Yealow bobs turnd vp before the Plough, are chiefest bayts.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 62 A Bob which you will find [under cow-dung]..and in time will be a beetle. View more context for this quotation
b. A beetle: chiefly in combination, as black-bob, blind-bob (also figurative). Obsolete or dialect.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > member of (beetle)
beetlea800
buddea1200
scarbot14..
escharbon1480
clock1568
black-bob1742
hardback1750
coleopter1860
Coleoptera1875
1742 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer (ed. 4) iv. i. 259 A further Account of the Wevil..At Winchester, they call this Insect, Pope, Black-bob, or Creeper.
1787 T. Best Conc. Treat. Angling (ed. 2) 19 Bobs..are worms as big as two maggots, have red heads.
1792 W. Osbaldiston Brit. Sportsman 662 All sorts of worms are better for being kept, except earth-bobs.
a1793 G. White Observ. Insects in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1802) II. 220 Blatta orientalis..Her house was over-run with a kind of black beetle, or as she expressed herself, with a kind of black-bob [cockroach].
II. A refrain or short line of verse.
10.
a. The refrain or burden of a song (? as if a pendant to each stanza). to bear a bob: to take up the refrain, join in the chorus.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > sing refrain
to bear a foot1538
to bear a bob1606
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > a song > [noun] > refrain
refraid?a1439
overword?a1513
refrain1530
foot1538
counterverse1570
faburden1580
burden1598
holding1598
chorus1601
foreburden1603
bob1606
ludden1607
down1611
nonnya1616
rame?c1625
tag1717
overcome?a1800
overturn1825
1606 N. Breton Choice, Chance, & Change sig. K1 Can beare the Bob, while other play and sing.
1692 R. L'Estrange Fables (1708) I. cclxxxiii. 299 To Bed, to Bed will be the Bob of the Song.
1752 H. Fielding Amelia IV. x. ii. 23 We'll sing it next Sunday at St. James's Church, and I'll bear a Bob.
1788 London Mag. 398 The real ass..bore a-bob in the chorus.
b. (In modern writers) The short line (often of 2 syllables only) at the end of the stanza in some old forms of versification; sometimes it introduces rhyming lines in a distinct measure, called the wheel n.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > part of poem > [noun] > line > short line > bob
kowec1330
bob1838
1838 E. Guest Hist. Eng. Rhythms (1882) 573 The bob is a very short and abrupt wheel or burthen.
1838 E. Guest Hist. Eng. Rhythms (1882) 620 Of all the wheels known to our language, the most important are those fashioned on the bob, that is on the short and abrupt wheel, which came into fashion during the 12th and 13th centuries.
1838 E. Guest Hist. Eng. Rhythms (1882) 621 The simplest kind of bob-wheel consists of the bob, and a long verse following, and riming with it.
1842 J. Robson Three Eng. Metr. Romances Introd. 19.
Compounds
bob-periwig, -peruke, -wig: see 4. See also bob-tail n. and adj.
bob-balance n. a balance with a bob or bobs.
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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > parts of
barrel1591
motion1605
bezel1616
fusee1622
string1638
crown wheel1646
out-case1651
watch-box1656
nuck1664
watchwork1667
balance-wheel1669
box1675
dial wheel1675
counter-potence1678
pendulum-balance1680
watch-case1681
pillar1684
contrate teeth1696
pinion of report1696
watch-hook1698
bob-balance1701
half-cock1701
potence1704
verge1704
pad1705
movable1709
jewel1711
pendant1721
crystal1722
watch-key1723
pendulum spring1728
lock spring1741
watch-glass1742
watch-spring1761
all-or-nothing piece1764
watch hand1764
cylinder1765
cannon?1780
cannon1802
stackfreed1819
pillar plate1821
little hand1829
hair-spring1830
lunette1832
all-or-nothing1843
locking1851
slag1857
staff1860
case spring1866
stem1866
balance-cock1874
watch-dial1875
balance-spring1881
balance-staff1881
Breguet spring1881
overcoil1881
surprise-piece1881
brass edge1884
button turn1884
fourth wheel1884
fusee-sink1884
pair-case1884
silver bar1884
silver piece1884
slang1884
top plate1884
karrusel1893
watch-face1893
watch bracelet1896
bar-movement1903
jewel pivot1907
jewel bearing1954
1701 London Gaz. No. 3717/4 Lost..a Silver Pendulum Minute Watch..with a Bob Ballance.
bob-curl n. ? a short curl like a tassel.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > curled or frizzed style > a curl
crocket1303
crookc1308
crotchet1589
lock1601
bergera1685
beau-catcher1818
sausage curl1828
spit-curl1831
crimp1855
kiss-curl1856
follow-me-lads1862
Alexandra curl1863
bob-curl1867
pin-curl1873
Montague1881
quiff1890
kiss-me-quick1893
1867 R. Broughton Cometh up as Flower I. xi. 158 Mamma in a sad coloured gown, with..bob curls.
bob-jerom n. a bobwig.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > wig > types of > bob-wig
bob-periwig1685
bob-peruke1685
bob-wig1685
bob1688
bob-jerom1782
1782 F. Burney Cecilia V. ix. iv. 57 To suppose a young lady of fortunes would marry a man with a bob jerom.
bob-pendulum n. a pendulum with a bob or bobs.
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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > pendulum clock > pendulum
pendule1660
pendulum1660
simple pendulum1673
bob-pendulum1685
swing1696
quicksilver pendulum1726
pendle1741
gridiron pendulum1751
mercurial pendulum1786
gridiron1793
wanrest1794
seconds pendulum1795
conical pendulum1813
ticker1821
noddy1844
1685 London Gaz. No. 2017/8 A large Gold Watch..with a Steel Chain and a Bob Pendulum.
1701 London Gaz. No. 3710/4 Stolen..2 Silver Minute bob Pendulum Watches.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† bobn.2
Obsolete.
1. A trick, deception, befoolment. to give (any one) the bob: to mock, make a fool of, impose upon.
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the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun] > a trick, deception
wrenchc888
swikec893
braida1000
craftOE
wile1154
crookc1175
trokingc1175
guile?c1225
hocket1276
blink1303
errorc1320
guileryc1330
sleightc1340
knackc1369
deceitc1380
japec1380
gaudc1386
syllogism1387
mazec1390
mowa1393
train?a1400
trantc1400
abusionc1405
creekc1405
trickc1412
trayc1430
lirtc1440
quaint?a1450
touch1481
pawka1522
false point?1528
practice1533
crink1534
flim-flamc1538
bobc1540
fetcha1547
abuse1551
block1553
wrinklec1555
far-fetch?a1562
blirre1570
slampant1577
ruse1581
forgery1582
crank1588
plait1589
crossbite1591
cozenage1592
lock1598
quiblin1605
foist1607
junt1608
firk1611
overreach?1615
fob1622
ludification1623
knick-knacka1625
flam1632
dodge1638
gimcrack1639
fourbe1654
juggle1664
strategy1672
jilt1683
disingenuity1691
fun1699
jugglementa1708
spring1753
shavie1767
rig?1775
deception1794
Yorkshire bite1795
fakement1811
fake1829
practical1833
deceptivity1843
tread-behind1844
fly1861
schlenter1864
Sinonism1864
racket1869
have1885
ficelle1890
wheeze1903
fast one1912
roughie1914
spun-yarn trick1916
fastie1931
phoney baloney1933
fake-out1955
okey-doke1964
mind-fuck1971
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, dupe [phrase]
to put an ape in a person's hoodc1330
to glaze one's houvec1369
to cough (a person) a daw, fool, momea1529
to make a fool of1534
to give (any one) the bobc1540
to lead (a person) a dancea1545
to make (someone) an ass1548
to make (a person) an ox1566
to play bob-fool witha1592
to sell any one a bargain1598
to put the fool on1649
to make a monkey (out) of1767
to play (a person) for a sucker (also fool, etc.)1869
to string (someone) along1902
to swing it on or across1923
c1540 Image Ipocrysy iv, in J. Skelton Poet. Wks. (1843) II. 444 To blinde vs with bobbes.
1589 Pappe with Hatchet (1844) 14 The vile boy hath manie bobbes, and a whole fardle of fallacies.
1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. K3 He smiled in his sleeue to see howe kindely hee had giuen her the bobbe.
1682 ‘T. Rationalis’ New News from Bedlam 39 When the Pope and his Party shall give him the bobb.
2. This runs together with the figurative use of bob n.3 in the sense of ‘taunt, bitter jest, scoff’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
bobn.3
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > with the hand > with the fist
bobeta1400
bobettingc1440
boba1568
nevel1568
fisticuffs1600
bunch1642
condyle1644
poke1690
punch1766
fist1767
plug1798
chuckera1805
polthogue1808
fistera1834
jab1889
bust1893
the world > movement > impact > striking > [noun] > a stroke or blow > specific on a person > that does not draw blood
dry bob1600
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 11v So cruellie threatened, yea presentlie some tymes, with pinches, nippes, and bobbes, and other waies.
1589 Pappe with Hatchet (1844) 21 Giue thee as many bobs on the eare, as thou hast eaten morsels.
1599 T. Churchyard Fortunate Farewell sig. A4 They feel fowl bobs, that for the bucklars striues.
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xliv. 877 Giue him many a drie bob.
a1626 L. Andrewes Serm. (1856) I. 261 They..then gave Him a bob blindfold.
1709 C. Cibber Rival Fools iii. 39 I only find Bobbs, Blows, and Noise In my poor Wooing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > jeering, taunting, or scoffing > [noun] > instance of
hoker-wordOE
gabc1225
scornc1275
jape1377
bourda1387
gaudc1440
knack1513
scoffing1530
gleekc1540
jest1548
to have a fling at?1550
snack?1554
boba1566
taunta1566
gird1566
flim-flam-flirt1573
gibe1573
scoff1573
flouting-stock1593
mycterism1593
flirt1613
fleera1616
scomma1620
jeer1631
snouchc1780
brocard1837
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > [noun] > instance of
admonishingc1350
reproofc1400
fliting1435
rebuke?a1439
snibc1450
reprehensiona1500
redargution1514
remorda1529
piece of one's mind1536
check1541
snuba1556
rebuking1561
boba1566
sneap1600
snipping1601
reprimand1636
repriment1652
rubber1699
slap1736
twinkation1748
rap1777
throughgoing1817
dressing-down1823
downset1824
hazing1829
snubbing1841
downsetting1842
raking1852
calling1855
talking toc1875
rousting1900
strafe1915
strafing1915
raspberry1919
rousing1923
bottle1938
reaming1944
ticking-off1950
serve1967
a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Fivv You are like to beare the bobbe, for wee wyll geue it.
1579 T. Lodge Protogenes 19 Here is the greatest bob I can gather out of your booke.
1606 G. Chapman Sir Gyles Goosecappe v. sig. H2v Marry him, sweet Lady, to answere his bitter bob.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Ruade seiche, a drie bob, jeast, or nip.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 55 Hee, that a Foole doth very wisely hit, Doth very foolishly, although he smart Seeme senselesse of the bob.
1709 E. Ward Rambling Fuddle-caps 7 Keep your Flirts to your self, and your merry dry Bobs.
1731 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. (ed. 5) Dry Bob, a Taunt or Scoff.
a1734 R. North Examen (1740) ii. v. ⁋164 So here is a Bob for the Court, and they deserve it.
3. A light or elastic blow as with anything rebounding; a tap. (Influenced by next word.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > [noun] > a slight or light blow
touchc1325
tapc1400
popc1425
tickc1440
tipa1466
tit1546
bob1611
waffa1754
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Mantonniere, a chocke, or bob vnder the chinne.
4. Hence perhaps blind-bob, an old name of blind-man's-buff: cf. bob v.1 Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > blind-man's-buff, etc.
hoodman-blind1565
hoodwink1574
Hob-man blind1599
blind-man's-buff1600
bob and hit1611
Harry racket1611
blind-bob1783
bond-man-blind1783
jingling match1801
pawn party1831
blind-hob1834
shadow buff1879
Blind Tom1909
1783 Ainsworth's Thes. Linguæ Latinæ (new ed.) at Myinda Bond-man-blind, blind-bob.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobn.4
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ 1. An act of bobbing, or suddenly jerking up and down; a light rebounding movement.
2. A Scottish name applied to some dances.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > other dances > [noun]
dance of Macabre?c1430
springc1450
lege de moya1529
bobc1550
lusty gallant1569
duret1613
fading1613
huckler1617
ground-measure1621
entry1631
slatter de pouchc1640
ballo1651
Irish trot1651
omnium gatheruma1652
clutterdepouch1652
upspring1654
passacaglia1659
shuffle1659
passacaille1667
flip-flap1676
chaconne1685
charmer1702
Cheshire-round1706
Louvre1729
stick dance1730
white joke1730
baby dance1744
Nancy Dawson1766
fricassee1775
bumpkin1785
Totentanz1789
Flora('s) dance1790
goombay1790
egg-dance1801
supper dance1820
Congo dance1823
slip-jig1829
bran-dance1833
roly-poly1833
Congo1835
mazy1841
furry1848
bull-dance1855
stampede1856
double-shuffling1859
frog dance1863
hokee-pokee1873
plait dance1876
slow dancing1884
snake dance1895
beast dance1900
soft-shoe1900
cakewalk1902
floral dance1911
snake dance1911
apache dance1912
grizzly bear1912
jazz dance1917
jazz dancing1917
jazz1919
wine-dance1920
camel-walk1921
furry dance1928
snake-dance1931
pas d'action1936
trance dancing1956
touch dance1965
hokey-cokey1966
moonwalk1969
moonwalking1983
Crip Walk1989
mapantsula1990
c1550 Wedderburn Godly Ballates, Popische Mes Dustifit and Bob-at-evin Do sa incres.
1728 A. Ramsay Poems II. 119 If ye'll go dance the Bob of Dunblane.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. 47 Well, hold your peace, you discontented monkies, and go dress your babies; and as for the Bob of Dumblane, ‘If it wasna weel bobbit, weel bobbit, weel bobbit, If it wasna weel bobbit, we'll bobb it again’.
3. A curtsy.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [noun] > manifestation of respect > bowing, kneeling, or curtseying > a bow or curtsey
crookc1330
beckc1375
obediencec1390
obeisancea1393
reverencec1400
inclinationa1425
courtesy1508
curtsy1513
honour1531
leg1548
duck1554
beisance1556
jouk1567
congee1577
crouch1597
humblesso1599
inclinabo1607
salaam1613
dop1616
scrape1628
bowa1656
visit-leg1673
couchee1691
dip1792
bob1825
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan I. 138 With a bow, or a bob.
1887 N.E.D. at Bob Mod. The village girls made a ‘charity bob’ as they passed.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobn.5
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ Bell-ringing.
‘A term used by change-ringers to denote certain changes in the working of the methods by which long peals of changes are produced.’ treble bob is a method in which the bells, and more especially the ‘Treble’, have a dodging course. A bob minor is rung upon 6 bells, a bob triple upon 7, a bob major upon 8, a bob royal upon 10, a bob maximus upon 12. (Grove Dict. Music s.v. Change.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > bell-ringing > [noun] > going through all the changes > changes > specific
set peal16..
grandsire1668
whole pull1668
bob1671
peal1671
course1677
set changes1677
single1684
single change1688
Plain Bob1702
Stedman1731
Superlative Surprise1788
touch1788
triple1798
triple bob major1809
maximus1813
royal1813
call changes1837
slam1854
cater1872
cinques1872
triple change1872
plain hunt1874
plain hunting1874
quarter peal1888
method1901
short course1904
1671 Tintinnalogia Pref. Verses (title) Upon the Presentation of Grandsire Bob To the Colledge-youths By the Author of that Peal.
1671 Tintinnalogia 102.
1677 F. Stedman Campanalogia 82 Upon six bells there are also single and double Courses, viz. twelve changes in every single Course, as in Grandsire Bob, etc. and twenty four changes in every double Course, as in Colledg Bob, etc.
1702 Campanologia Impr. 26 The word Extream we must confess is the most proper Signification, in regard to the Change, but there is now and for some time has been a word call'd Bob, instead of Extream, upon what account the word was chang'd, we know not.
1807 Salmagundi 27 June 231 A great hand at ringing bob-majors.
1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto VII lxxxv. 107 The next shall ring a peal to shake all people, Like a bob-major from a village steeple.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. vi. iii. 379 A distracted empty-sounding world; of bob-minors and bob-majors, of triumph and terror.
1872 H. T. Ellacombe Bells of Church iii. 43 Perhaps the most remarkable is one of 12,000 Treble bob royal which was rung in 1784.
Derivatives
bob-ˈmajoring n. Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1862 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia III. xiii. xiv. 586 Huge huzzahing, herald-trumpeting, bob-major-ing, bursts forth from all Prussian Towns.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobn.6
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ An apparatus for polishing silver, plated goods, or other burnished metal surfaces, consisting of a disc or discs of leather or cloth, or a wooden disc with a tuyère of buff leather, revolving rapidly on a spindle, and used with or without emery-powder, sand, etc., according to the class of work in hand.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > polishing > [noun] > implement for polishing > implements for polishing metal
Flanders tilea1399
white brick1468
Flanders brick1651
scratch-brush1797
buff1831
Bath-brick1837
scratch card1839
buffer1854
rag wheel1869
bob1879
buff-stick1881
scratch-knot1905
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 414/1 They will first be ‘bobbed’..the finishing ‘bobs’ are made of a number of loose discs of cloth placed close together and threaded on the spindle like an old fashioned mop, the spoon is pressed against the soft pad, dressed with grease and fine powder.
1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 252 The bobs and laps should be driven by steam power, as is the case in Birmingham.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
Bobn.7
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ 1. In various combinations, denoting persons: as dry-bob n. a boy (at Eton) who devotes himself to land-sports, as cricket, football, etc. wet-bob n. one who devotes himself to boating. See also light-bob n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > player or sportsperson > [noun] > at college or university > devoted to land sports
dry-bob1844
society > education > learning > learner > one attending school > [noun] > pupil at specific school > types of pupil at Eton
oppidan1557
servitor1819
sextile1821
dry-bob1844
tug1864
tug-mutton1864
wet bob1865
non-nant1869
1707 S. Centlivre Platonick Lady Epil. Some Cheapside-Bobbs too trudge it to our play.
1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby I. i. ix. 102 ‘The match to-morrow shall be between Aquatics and Drybobs,’ said a senior boy.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxiv. 207 Mr. Stubble, as may be supposed from his size and slenderness, was of the Light Bobs.
1865 W. L. Collins Etoniana xi. 172 Of course a ‘dry-bob’ boats occasionally, and a ‘wet-bob’ plays cricket.
1886 Sat. Rev. 27 Mar. 438/1 We are not even informed whether he is a wet bob or a dry bob.
2. Short for bob-white n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Phasianidae (pheasants, etc.) > [noun] > colinus virginianus (bob-white)
partridge1578
colin1678
bob-white1819
Bob1883
1883 Cent. Mag. Aug. 483/2 The European partridge..weighs twice as much as Bob White, but he has not Bob's sturdy, rapid..flight.
1902 E. Sandys & T. S. Van Dyke Upland Game Birds 9 Then brave, brown Bob..enters Love's fateful lists.
3. Slang phr. Bob's (bob's) your uncle: everything is all right.
ΚΠ
1937 in E. Partridge Dict. Slang (ed. 2) 981/2.
1946 S. Spender European Witness 143 He mixes up phrases such as ‘Oh boy, oh boy’, with cockney such as ‘Bob's-your-uncle’.
1949 ‘N. Blake’ Head of Traveller iv. 60 Three curves and a twiddle, label it ‘Object’, and bob's your uncle.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobn.8
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ slang.
1. A shilling.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > shilling
s.1387
solidus?a1475
shilling1533
teston1543
twelvepence1563
bord1567
twelvepenny piece1594
sh.1607
hog1673
twelver1699
she-lion1744
grunter1785
twalpenny worth1786
bob1789
pega1790
tower shilling1800
little shilling1826
deaner1839
rogue and villain1857
stag1857
hole1934
1789 Sessions' Papers June 550/1 Bulls and half bulls are crowns and half crowns, in coiner's language, and a bob is a shilling.
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 156 Bob, or Bobstick, a shilling.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xli. 449 Will you take three bob?
1840 T. Hook Fitzherbert II. vi. 150 I haven't a bob to pay for the hire of these skates.
1864 Athenæum 558/3 ‘Bob’ is thought to have first distinguished the shilling in Sir Robert Walpole's time.
1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Tall Ship iv. 73 Have I got time to borrow five bob from the messman before the boat shoves off?
2. Phrases. bob a job: the slogan of the Boy Scout organization in an annual effort to raise money for funds by doing jobs, originally at a shilling a time; also (with hyphens) as attributive phrase; bob a nob [nob n.3] colloquial: a payment of a shilling a head; also attributive; bob in (Australian and New Zealand colloquial): a subscription of a shilling to a common fund.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > payment > [phrase] > specific payment per head
bob a nob1823
headage1847
capitation system1916
society > trade and finance > payment > contribution > [noun] > contribution of specific amount
bob in1889
society > trade and finance > payment > [phrase] > specific payment per job
by the great1523
at the great1699
bob a job1944
1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 13 A bob a nob, a shilling a head.
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 313/2 These he would engage at ‘a bob a nob’ (one shilling each).
1889 W. Davidson Stories N.Z. Life 5 From tricks at cards, the fun changed to ‘a bob in’ the winner shouting.
1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 28 June 36/3 What say we rig a few bob-ins for the poor cow?
1944 Times 19 May 2/3 Among the younger boys the effort is already known as the ‘Bob-a-Job’ or ‘Bob-a-Nob’ Day.
1945 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. ix. 172 Just as the shout is an institution in this part of the world so are the bob in, two bob in, [etc.]..all of which concern the creation of a jack-pot, usually with the object of buying drinks.
1954 ‘N. Blake’ Whisper in Gloom i. iii. 41 Clean your car, sir? Bob a job. Kensington Scouts.
1958 ‘R. Crompton’ William's Television Show vi. 162 William took his ‘Bob-a-Job’ book from his pocket and studied it complacently.
1959 Daily Tel. 28 July 12/4 A shilling-a-head subscription, popularly known as the ‘bob-a-nob’, for some form of testimonial was launched to-day.
1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 113 The Red Range Federal Capital Site Committee (bob in and the winner shout) met on a Sunday.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobn.9
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ A euphemistic substitute for God in asseverative or exclamatory formulae.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [noun] > religious oaths (referring to God)
Coda1500
Gadc1500
cots1526
Cuds1607
gara1616
Cuts1671
dad1674
cops1693
bob1823
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > name of > used in oaths or exclamations
dog?1550
bob1823
Gawd1877
1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 13 ‘So help me bob,’ is an oath to deceive the hearer, doubly; for a bob is but a shilling, and not a fit thing to swear by.
1842 R. H. Barham Dead Drummer in Ingoldsby Legends 2nd Ser. xlii His jaw-work would never, I'm sure, s'elp me Bob, Have come for to go for to do sich a job.
1905 W. A. Raleigh Let. 17 Nov. (1926) II. 284 It's all very well Jesus Christ being imagination, but when it comes to nothing but menageries of howling giants—s'welp me Bob! I can't show it up, I don't know enough.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobadj.
1. Cut short (as a horse's tail); bobbed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [adjective] > docked
docked1408
curtailed1591
bobbed1658
bob1709
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [adjective] > having particular type of tail
docked1408
stug-tailed1575
curtal1576
curtailed1591
bushya1609
bobbed1658
undocked1677
flisk1680
rat-tailed1684
strunted1688
bob1709
cocktailed1763
switched1769
cocked1775
nick-tailed1840
1709 London Gaz. No. 4571/4 A Mare..with a grisled Mane and Tail full bob.
2. slang. ? Lively, ‘nice’. Cf. bobbish adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > lively, vivacious, or animated
jollyc1325
lightsomea1382
kedgec1440
fledge?1461
crank1499
frisky?a1500
sprightya1522
frisk1528
sprightful1550
quick-spirited1552
cranking1567
lively1567
quick-sprighted1579
aleger1590
bright-eyed1590
firking1594
sprightly1594
spirituous1601
great-stomached1607
spirity1615
spiritous1628
lifesomec1635
vivacious1645
rattlingc1650
quick-set1653
airy1654
animated1660
sparklinga1704
bob1721
vivace1721
animate1801
high-lifed1859
sassy1859
chippy1865
sparky1883
high-keyed1893
high life1903
peppy1914
pepful1915
jazzy1917
upbeat1947
zappy1969
sparkly1979
the mind > emotion > excitement > excitability of temperament > spiritedness or liveliness > [adjective]
jollyc1325
kedgec1440
fledge?1461
frisky?a1500
sprightya1522
frisk1528
sprightful1550
quick-spirited1552
lively1567
quick-sprighted1579
alive-like1582
aleger1590
firking1594
sprightly1594
sportive1595
mettled1599
alives-like1601
spirited1601
spirituous1601
mettle1606
great-stomached1607
free-spirited1613
spirity1615
spiritous1628
vivacious1645
rattlingc1650
sportful1650
airy1654
animated1660
racy1671
mettlesome1673
sparklinga1704
raffing?1719
bob1721
vivace1721
alive1748
lifey1793
spunky1831
gilpie1835
bubbling1860
chippy1865
bubblesome1879
colourful1882
sparky1883
bubbly1912
jazzy1917
spritzy1973
sparkly1979
kicking1983
1721 C. Cibber Refusal i. 9 Yesterday, at Marybone, they had me all Bob as a Robin.
1864 C. M. Yonge Trial I. 113 ‘That's a nice girl’..‘Bobber than bobtail’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
† bobv.1
Obsolete.
1.
a. transitive. To make a fool of, deceive, cheat.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, cheat, dupe [verb (transitive)]
belirtOE
bitruflea1250
begab1297
bobc1320
bedaffc1386
befool1393
mock1440
triflea1450
glaik?a1513
bedawa1529
fond?1529
allude1535
gulla1550
dolt1553
dor1570
poop1575
colt1579
foolify1581
assot1583
noddify1583
begecka1586
elude1594
wigeona1595
fool1598
noddy1600
fop1602
begull1605
waddle1606
woodcockize1611
bemocka1616
greasea1625
noddypoop1640
truff1657
bubble1668
cully1676
coaxc1679
dupe1704
to play off1712
noodle1769
idiotize1775
oxify1804
tomfool1835
sammyfoozle1837
trail1847
pipe lay1848
pigwidgeon1852
green1853
con1896
rib1912
shuck1959
c1320 Seuyn Sages (W.) 2246 Tha bobbed the pie bi night.
c1380 J. Wyclif Dominion in Wks. (1880) 291 Þe fend may hide mennes wittis & bobbe hem in here resoun.
c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems 261 Bete and eek bobbid by fals illusioun.
1567 G. Turberville Pretie Epigr. (R.) To play her prancks, and bob the foole the shrowish wife begon.
1612 W. Fennor Cornu-copiæ 66 I'le not be bob'd with such a slight excuse.
1698 R. South 12 Serm. III. 100 The Devil stands Bobbing and Tantalizing their Gaping hopes with some Preferment in Church, or State.
1725 J. Swift Wood's Petition in Wks. (1746) VIII. 316 And, so you may daintily bob him.
b. to bob of, to bob out of: to cheat (out) of. to bob off: to get rid of by fraud.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > treat fraudulently, cheat [verb (transitive)] > dispose of fraudulently
put1603
to bob off1605
to put off1612
impose1650
palm1679
sham1681
cog1721
slur1749
pawn1763
to play off1768
to pass off1799
to work off1813
to stall off1819
to fob off1894
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle > out of something
beguile1394
wrongc1484
delude1493
licka1500
to wipe a person's nose1577
uncle1585
cheat1597
cozen1602
to bob of1605
to bob out of1605
gull1612
foola1616
to set in the nick1616
to worm (a person) out of1617
shuffle1627
to baffle out of1652
chouse1654
trepan1662
bubble1668
trick1698
to bamboozle out of1705
fling1749
jockey1772
swindle1780
twiddle1825
to diddle out of1829
nig1829
to chisel out of1848
to beat out1851
nobble1852
duff1863
flim-flam1890
1605 Hist. Tryall Cheualry sig. A4v I had rather dye in a ditch, then be bobd of my fayre Thomasin.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. i. 67 You shall not bob vs out of our melody. View more context for this quotation
a1652 R. Brome City Wit iii. iv. sig. D5v, in Five New Playes (1653) If you could bob me off with such payment.
1676 Pacquet Advices to Men of Shaftesbury 8 Had I been bobb'd out of All.
c. To take by deception, to filch.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > take by swindling
wipec1000
fleece1537
fraud1570
shark1613
boba1616
foola1616
rook1647
sharp1707
escroc1738
swindle1779
skelder1822
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) v. i. 16 Gold and Iewells, that I bobd from him. View more context for this quotation
2. To make sport of, mock, flout. Also intransitive with to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > deride, ridicule, or mock [verb (transitive)]
teleeOE
laughOE
bismerc1000
heascenc1000
hethec1175
scornc1175
hokera1225
betell?c1225
scorn?c1225
forhushc1275
to make scorn at, toc1320
boba1382
bemow1388
lakea1400
bobby14..
triflea1450
japec1450
mock?c1450
mowc1485
to make (a) mock at?a1500
to make mocks at?a1500
scrip?a1513
illude1516
delude1526
deride1530
louta1547
to toy with ——1549–62
flout1551
skirp1568
knack1570
to fart against1574
frump1577
bourd1593
geck?a1600
scout1605
subsannate1606
railly1612
explode1618
subsannea1620
dor1655
monkeya1658
to make an ass of (someone)1680
ridicule1680
banter1682
to run one's rig upon1735
fun1811
to get the run upon1843
play1891
to poke mullock at1901
razz1918
flaunt1923
to get (or give) the razoo1926
to bust (a person's) chops1953
wolf1966
pimp1968
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xxxviii. 19 Thei bobbe to me [a1425 L.V. thei scorn me].
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) 1 Esdras i. 51 Thei weren bobbende his profetus.
Compounds
Names of games or forms of diversion. (But these may belong to bob v.2)† bob-fool n. Obsolete to play bob-fool with, to make a fool of, to befool.† bob-her n. Obsolete† bob and hit n. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, dupe [phrase]
to put an ape in a person's hoodc1330
to glaze one's houvec1369
to cough (a person) a daw, fool, momea1529
to make a fool of1534
to give (any one) the bobc1540
to lead (a person) a dancea1545
to make (someone) an ass1548
to make (a person) an ox1566
to play bob-fool witha1592
to sell any one a bargain1598
to put the fool on1649
to make a monkey (out) of1767
to play (a person) for a sucker (also fool, etc.)1869
to string (someone) along1902
to swing it on or across1923
a1592 R. Greene Comicall Hist. Alphonsus (1599) iv. sig. G1 Do they thinke to play bob foole with me?
1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas Spanish Bawd xv. 162 Thou hast plai'd bob-foole with mee, by thy vaine and idle offers.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other specific games > [noun] > others
sitisota1400
papsea1450
half-bowl1477
pluck at the crow1523
white and black1555
running game1581
blow-pointa1586
hot cocklesa1586
one penny1585
cockelty bread1595
pouch1600
venter-point1600
hinch-pinch1603
hardhead1606
poor and rich1621
rowland-hoe1622
hubbub1634
handicap?a1653
owl1653
ostomachy1656
prelledsa1660
quarter-spellsa1660
yert-point1659
bob-her1702
score1710
parson has lost his cloak1712
drop (also throw) (the) handkerchief1754
French Fox1759
goal1765
warpling o' the green1768
start1788
kiss-in-the-ring1801
steal-clothes1809
steal-coat1816
petits paquets1821
bocce1828
graces1831
Jack-in-the-box1836
hot hand1849
sparrow-mumbling1852
Aunt Sally1858
gossip1880
Tambaroora1882
spoof1884
fishpond1892
nim1901
diabolo1906
Kim's game1908
beaver1910
treasure-hunt1913
roll-down1915
rock scissors paper1927
scissors cut paper1927
scissors game1927
the dozens1928
toad in the hole1930
game1932
scissors paper stone1932
Roshambo1936
Marco Polo1938
scavenger hunt1940
skish1940
rock paper scissors1947
to play chicken1949
sounding1962
joning1970
arcade game1978
1702 L'Estrange's Visions of Quevedo Burlesqu'd 269 Useful and skilful Knight at Bob-her.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > blind-man's-buff, etc.
hoodman-blind1565
hoodwink1574
Hob-man blind1599
blind-man's-buff1600
bob and hit1611
Harry racket1611
blind-bob1783
bond-man-blind1783
jingling match1801
pawn party1831
blind-hob1834
shadow buff1879
Blind Tom1909
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Savate,..the play called Bob and Hit, or Hodman Blind.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
bobv.2
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > box [verb (transitive)]
bobc1280
box1679
scrap1893
c1280 Fall & Pass. 59 in Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 14 He was ibobid an i-smitte . an hi spette in is face.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 241 [The slave in the triumphal car] scholde bobbe besily the victor.
1493 Festivall (1515) 172 Our moost benygne savyour..was bobbed, buffeted and spytte upon.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. vii. sig. Cvii If anye man hapned..to shewe hym selfe to be weary, he was sodaynly bobbed on the face by the seruantes of Nero.
1578 Bk. Christian Prayers in Private Prayers (1851) 508 Thou wast..buffeted, blindfolded, bobbed with fists.
1600 R. Armin Foole vpon Foole sig. C1v The fellow..got the fooles head vnder his arme and bob'd his nose.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something rounded
bobc1540
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 7316 With the bit of his blade he bobbit hym so.
1589 ‘Marphoreus’ Martins Months Minde Ep. Ded. sig. A 2v I haue..bobde them with their own bable. [Still in dialect use.]
3. To rap or tap with a slight (usually elastic) blow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > strike with specific degree of force [verb (transitive)] > strike lightly
thackc897
tap?c1225
touchc1330
strike1488
tip1567
tit1589
tat1607
dib1609
bob1745
popc1817
percuss1827
rap1873
1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants iii. 53 When you carry a Glass of Liquor to any Person..do not bob him on the Shoulder.
1887 N.E.D. at Bob Mod. (Parlour Game) ‘Brother, I am bobbed’.
4. To cause (anything) to rap or bounce against, at, etc. This sense blends gradually with bob v.3
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > impinge upon [verb (transitive)] > cause to impinge > forcibly or violently
knocka1340
runa1425
rap1440
jowlc1470
dauda1572
sousea1593
bedash1609
bob1612
hit1639
bump1673
bebump1694
boup1715
bonk1929
prang1952
1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 Pref. 13 There is nothing else to be done, but to bob into it some Latin Sentences.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. xxxv. 273 An unfledg'd kite..wanting to swallow a chicken, bobb'd at its mouth, by its marauding dam!
1839 W. Irving Chron. Wolfert's Roost (1855) 246 Bobbing their cups together, as if they were hob-or-nobbing.
1887 N.E.D. at Bob Mod. Wasps bobbing their heads against the window pane.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobv.3
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ 1.
a. intransitive. To move up and down like a buoyant body in water, or an elastic body on land; hence, to dance; to move to and fro with a similar motion, esp. said of hanging things rebounding from objects lightly struck by them.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > move to and fro or up and down [verb (intransitive)]
to come and goc1384
babble1440
play1513
popple1555
dance1563
bob1568
dodge1645
waft1650
reciprocate1678
lollop1851
pump1887
piston1930
yo-yo1967
1386 G. Chaucer Manciple's Prol. 2 A litel toun, which that ycleped is Bobbe up and down Vnder the Blee in Caunterbury weye.]
1568 Christis Kirk on Grene in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 263 Platfute he bobbit vp wt bendis for mald he maid requeist.
1611 T. Coryate Crudities sig. Hv Many tassels bobbing about.
1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. iii Tantalus..hath Apples bobbing at his nose.
1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth II. 271 The Fruit was bobbing at his Chin.
1794 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 85 54 Solid bodies bobbing up and down in a fiery liquid.
1830 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 49/2 With what consummate craft he bobbed in and out, as to office.
1858 N. Hawthorne Fr. & Ital. Jrnls. (1872) II. 164 A postilion..bobbing up and down on the offhorse.
1872 W. Black Strange Adventures Phaeton ix A bottle bobbing about in the sea.
b. to bob for apples, cherries, etc.: to snatch with the mouth at apples, or other fruit, floating on water, or dangling from a string, the fruit in either case generally eluding the mouth of the would-be captor.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [verb (intransitive)] > snatch with the mouth
to bob for apples, cherries1834
1834 C. Lamb Let. 18 Oct. (1935) III. 419 No. 92 may bob it as she likes; but she catches no cherry of me.
1858 Sat. Rev. 31 July 98 Like a schoolboy who fruitlessly bobs in the tub of water after the apple.
c. to bob on: to await anxiously (the turn of events). slang.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > expectation, waiting > wait for, await [verb (transitive)] > anxiously
sweat1917
to bob on1925
1925 E. Fraser & J. Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 29 Bobbing on, anticipating or expecting something..with the sense of looking forward to something unpleasant.
a1935 T. E. Lawrence Mint (1955) i. xxiv. 85 I'm bobbing on not getting that intelligent job from him.
2.
a. intransitive. To move up or down with a bob or slight jerk; spec. curtsy. Also, with cognate object, to bob a curtsy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > move to and fro or up and down [verb (intransitive)] > bob
dance1563
boba1794
bobble1812
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > respect or show respect [verb (intransitive)] > bow, kneel, or curtsey
loutc825
abowOE
bowa1000
kneel?a1000
kneec1000
crookc1320
to bow the knee1382
inclinec1390
crouchc1394
croukc1394
coucha1500
plya1500
to make or do courtesy1508
beck1535
to make a (long, low, etc.) leg1548
curtsya1556
dopc1557
binge1562
jouk1567
beckon1578
benda1586
humblea1592
vaila1593
to scrape a leg1602
congee1606
to give the stoop1623
leg1628
scrape1645
to drop a curtsy1694
salaam1698
boba1794
dip1818
to make (also perform) a cheese1834
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [verb (transitive)] > show respect for > bow or curtsey to
lout971
abowOE
aloutc1390
obeishc1400
curtsy1566
cringe1609
leg1628
salaam1684
wreathe1730
bob1847
a1794 Old Song When she cam ben she bobbit.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) ii. 14 Bobbing, and curtseying, and smiling.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule x. 156 The servant..bobbed a curtsey to her.
1887 N.E.D. at Bob Mod. He bobbed down, and the stone missed him. The end of the pole bobbed up and struck me.
b. To come or go in, into, up, etc.Quot. 1836 may belong to sense 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > specific manner of progressive motion > move progressively in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > promptly or suddenly
startc1275
pop1530
bob1836
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > with a bob
bob1836
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > with a bob
bob1924
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. II. 27 ‘Please sir, missis has made tea,’ said a middle-aged female servant, bobbing into the room.
1890 Texas Siftings 8 Nov. 7/1 The straws man bobs up serenely at the regular time every four years.
1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey i. viii Thanks, old man, awfully good of you—will you bob in, then?
1928 Public Opinion 19 Oct. 371/1 Everything but the kitchen stove, as our idiom has it, is likely to bob up for notice.
c. to bob and weave, of a boxer: to move the head and body constantly up and down and from side to side as an evasive tactic. Also to weave and bob figurative, to move erratically or evasively, to move rapidly and unpredictably in one direction after another.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > change direction of movement [verb (intransitive)] > move with sudden turn > move with sudden turns
redoublec1443
double1594
weave1596
hare1893
jinkle1893
to bob and weave1928
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > box [verb (intransitive)] > actions
lunge1809
weave1818
counter1857
lead1895
slip1897
unload1912
smother1916
to bob and weave1928
the world > time > change > changeableness > be changeable [verb (intransitive)]
fleetc1374
reel1495
flight1568
brandle1606
flash1608
revarya1618
adjust1898
to bob and weave1975
1928 J. O'Brien Boxing vii. 59 The mighty Sullivan might have ruined Corbett, but he couldn't reach or land on the bobbing, weaving, and left-hooking ‘Gentleman Jim’.
1928 J. O'Brien Boxing vii. 65 Keep weaving and bobbing at a comfortable pace.
1932 E. Eager Fighting for Fun v. 70 Before me a rhythmic tiger, with human face, was weaving and bobbing.
1950 J. Dempsey Championship Fighting xi. 54 ‘Bobbers and weavers’—chaps who come in bobbing low and weaving from side to side.
1951 Sport 30 Mar. 11/3 When the bell went Kelly came bobbing and weaving into the centre of the ring.
1956 Time 12 Mar. 124/3 Bobbing and weaving about the premises are a passel of New York glitterati. There is a highbrow editor of a popular magazine who is keen on starting a new literary journal [etc.].
1969 T. Williams My Turn at Bat iii. 151 Nobody will be a greater heavyweight than Joe Louis…They said, ‘He couldn't take a punch.’..What they didn't say was that he was moving in all the time, not bobbing and weaving and flashing or running around.
1975 Business Week 4 Aug. 12/3 Production bobs and weaves from week to week.
1979 Washington Post 23 Mar. e8/1 He's gotta bob and weave. He's gotta crowd Holmes, throw punches underneath.
1984 S. Naipaul Beyond Dragon's Mouth x. 215 She bobbed and weaved; she brandished her pale arms; she rotated her hips.
1986 Los Angeles Times 6 Oct. iii. 13/3 Red Sox coaches used fungo bats to aim baseballs at the pitcher, forcing him to bob and weave.
3. transitive. To move (a thing) up or down with a bob or slight jerk. Cf. bob v.2 4.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > move to and fro or up and down [verb (transitive)] > bob
bob1685
bobble1960
1685 Abridgm. Eng. Mil. Discip. 67 Take care not to bob up the Spear of your Pike.
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 18 Dolphins bob their noses through the brine.
1839 C. Darwin in R. Fitzroy & C. Darwin Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle III. iii. 64 The Carrancha takes little notice, except by bobbing its head.
Compounds
bob-a-cherry n. transferred attributive (cf. bob-cherry n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > catching raisins, etc., in mouth
chop-cherry1561
flap-dragon1601
bob-apple1681
snapdragon1704
bob-cherry1741
snap-apple1823
bob-a-cherry1899
1899 T. S. Moore Vinedresser 19 ‘Kisses sadly blown across the sea..Bob-a-cherry kisses 'neath a tree—'O, give me one.’
1926 J. Masefield Odtaa ii. 22 They're bobacherry birds. You always see them working their lower jaws as though to get the cherry in.
bob-apple n. a game in which children bob for apples, either floating in water, or suspended.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > catching raisins, etc., in mouth
chop-cherry1561
flap-dragon1601
bob-apple1681
snapdragon1704
bob-cherry1741
snap-apple1823
bob-a-cherry1899
1681 Reply Mischief of Imposit. 2 To see their Children play at Bob-apple.
1940 F. Kitchen Brother to Ox i. 15 We children..played snapdragon and bob-apple.
1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren xii. 271 In Liverpool Hallowe'en is known as ‘Duck Apple’..in Pontypool ‘Bob Apple’ or ‘Crab Apple Night’.
1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren xii. 272 Bob Apple is also known as ‘Snap Apple’ or ‘Apple on the Line’.
bob-cherry n. a game in which the player tries to catch with his teeth a cherry suspended at the end of a string.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > parlour and party games > [noun] > catching raisins, etc., in mouth
chop-cherry1561
flap-dragon1601
bob-apple1681
snapdragon1704
bob-cherry1741
snap-apple1823
bob-a-cherry1899
1741 Mem. Martinus Scriblerus v. 21 in A. Pope Wks. II Bob-cherry..teaches at once two noble Virtues, Patience and Constancy.
1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 15 July 10 Lord Robert Montagu..described Government, upon the question of Reform, as ‘playing at bob-cherry with the nation’.
ΚΠ
1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iii. iv. 38 in Wks. II Keepe it during the Fayre, Bobchin.
bob-fly n. in angling, a second artificial fly that bobs on the surface of the water, to indicate the position of the end-fly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > artificial fly > one of a number on line
dropper1829
bob-fly1832
dropper-fly1834
bobber1837
stretcher1837
drop-fly1870
stretcher-fly1883
tail-fly1883
1832 E. Jesse Gleanings Nat. Hist. 1st Ser. 300 You can easily find the bob-fly on the top of the water, and thus be sure that the end-fly is not far off.
1883 Cent. Mag. 378 He looped on for dropper, or bob-fly, a ‘Lord Baltimore’.
bob-up n. attributive that bobs up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > rise or go up [verb (intransitive)] > rise or go up in other manner
upsmite1446
spire1607
eruct1666
uptoss1828
upshoot1876
hulk1880
upwind1880
fountain1903
bob-up1935
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > mechanism > [adjective] > that pops or bobs up
pop-up1926
bob-up1935
1935 Discovery Jan. 10/1 This type of mechanism has come to be known as the ‘bob-up’ type.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > whaling and seal-hunting > whaling > whaling equipment > [noun] > float
bob-wood1697
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World iii. 35 At the other end of his staff [sc. for a Harpoon] there is a piece of light Wood called Bobwood, with a hole in it, through which the small end of the staff comes.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobv.4
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ a. intransitive. To fish (for eels) with a bob. (Hence humorously, ‘to bob for whales’.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing for type of fish > fish for type of fish [verb (intransitive)] > fish for eels in specific manner
bob1614
sniggle1671
grig1764
1614 G. Markham Cheape & Good Husb. (1623) 178 Other wayes..to take Eeles, as..with bobbing for them with great wormes.
a1668 W. Davenant Vacation in London in Wks. (1673) 290 All day on Thames to bob for Grig.
1766 H. Walpole Acct. Giants in Wks. (1798) II. 94 These giants..seldom come down to the coast; and then I suppose only to bob for whales.
1833 Fraser's Mag. 7 54 He..bobs and dibbles till he hooks his prey.
1883 G. C. Davies Norfolk Broads (1884) iii. 22 The eel is the support of numbers of fishermen, who ‘bob’ for it with bundles of worms threaded on worsted.
b. figurative. To seek to capture or obtain by artifice; to ‘fish for’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (intransitive)] > by irregular means
sornc1575
boba1668
scunge1846
mooch1857
scrounge1909
a1668 W. Davenant Wits ii. 183 in Wks. (1673) He lies not there To bob for Griggs, but to bob for the People.
1840 E. E. Napier Scenes & Sports Foreign Lands II. v. 163 Even captains are not catchable every day; she bobs away at them for a couple of years.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobv.5
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ 1. To dock, cut short (a horse's tail, etc.). Also with off. ? U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [verb (transitive)] > dock or nick horse
dock1530
curtail1577
nick1740
bob1822
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > shortness > make short(er) [verb (transitive)] > (as if) by cutting
crop?c1225
dockc1380
cutc1385
trunk?1440
coll1483
scut1530
to cut, trim, etc. short1545
prune1565
bobtail1577
curtail1580
lop1594
decurtate1599
imp1657
truncate1727
abridge1750
bob1822
1822 J. Fowler Jrnl. (1898) 112 Two of them [sc. wild horses] must have been in Hands, as their tails were Bobed short.
1889 Cent. Dict. Bob1 v. 2. To cut short; dock: often with off: as, to bob or bob off a horse's tail.
2. To cut (the hair of a woman or girl) short and even all round.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > beautify (the hair) [verb (transitive)] > cut > in a specific style
marquisotte1567
spade1594
roach1833
bob1918
1918 Punch 25 Sept. 193 Alarming spread of bobbing.
1919 Home Notes 8 Feb. 130 I went to a hairdresser's... He bobbed my hair.
1920 R. Macaulay Potterism i. i When the time came to bob the hair, she bobbed it.
1940 M. Dickens Mariana v. 140 I want to have my hair bobbed, please.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobv.6
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ transitive. To polish (metal) with a bob (see bob n.6).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > polishing > polish [verb (transitive)] > polish metal > with specific implement
scratch-brush1750
scratch1856
bob1879
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 414/1 Our spoons..will be first ‘bobbed’ with fine sand on an ordinary buff-covered polishing wheel.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bobv.7
a. transitive. To carry on a bob-sleigh.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > transport of goods in a vehicle > transport goods in vehicle [verb (transitive)] > on a sled or sledge > specific type
ramass1511
bob1909
1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. Bob, v.t., to transport (a load, as of logs) on a bob or sled.
b. intransitive. To ride on a bob-sleigh.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > tobogganing > toboggan [verb (intransitive)]
coast1836
toboggan1846
bob1880
bobsled1880
bobsleigh1907
luge1907
1880 Rep. Supreme Court Wisconsin 49 254 Injuries suffered..by collision with persons ‘bobbing’ or ‘coasting’ on such street.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
bobadv.
/bɒb/, U.S. /bɑb/ The verb stem of bob v.2 or bob v.3, used to denote sudden action.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [adverb] > suddenly
in a widden-dreamOE
a sursaut1338
at a wapa1400
in a swing1487
on or upon a (or the) sudden1558
at a (orthe) sudden1562
in a sudden1562
of a sudden1570
short1579
overshort1587
on the starta1616
slap1672
swap1672
bob1673
souse1680
sharply1828
sharp1836
a-sudden1871
1673 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd II. 253 Turne but over the Leaf and you meet full bob; ‘Reverendissimo in Christo Patri et Domino.’
1872 S. W. Baker Nile Tributaries Abyssinia (new ed.) ii. 32 Bob! and away it went.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1c1400
n.2c1540
n.3a1566n.4c1550
n.51671n.61879n.71707n.81789n.91823adj.1709v.1c1320v.2c1280
v.31568v.41614v.51822v.61879v.71880adv.1673