† bumpn.¹int.¹

Forms: 1500s–1600s bumpe, 1800s bump.

Origin: An imitative or expressive formation.

Etymology: Imitative of the call of the bittern. Compare boom n.¹, earlier bum v.², and later bump v.²

Obsolete.

The booming call of the bittern. Also as int. Cf. boom n.¹, butterbump n.

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the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Ciconiiformes (storks, etc.) > [noun] > family Ardeidae (herons and bitterns) > member of genus Botaurus (bittern) > cry of

bumpa1529

bill1793

a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. B.iii The Better with his bumpe The Crane with his trumpe.

1631 W. Lisle Faire Æthiopian i. 8 Bittour sounding Bumpe.

1834 T. Nuttall Man. Ornithol. U.S. & Canada: Water Birds 61 The búmp..of the true Bittern.

1861 H. W. Wheelwright Bush Wanderings of Naturalist 87 The heavy bump of the bittern from the reeds close to me.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2020).

bumpn.²

Brit.

/bʌmp/, U.S.

/bəmp/

Forms:

α. 1500s bompes (plural), 1500s–1600s bumpe, 1500s– bump.

β. Scottish 1900s– bumph.

Origin: Probably an imitative or expressive formation.

Etymology: Probably of imitative origin. With sense I. compare other words of similar sound denoting a rounded protuberance or swelling as e.g. bum n.¹, bumb n., bub n.², lump n.¹, etc. With sense II. compare words of similar sound denoting a blow or the act of striking, as e.g. bum v.³, thump n. Compare later bump v.¹The logical causal connection between the two main senses ‘blow, impact’ (branch II.) and ‘swelling (as caused by a blow)’ (branch I.) is not supported by the chronology of the evidence, although it is unclear whether this is etymologically significant. Compare bump v.¹, in which the order of attestation of the corresponding senses is reversed. With the β. forms compare e.g. trumph n. and humph , Scots form of hump n., hump v.

I. A swelling or protuberance.

a. A swelling or protuberance on the body of a person, animal, etc., esp. one caused by injury or (in early use) illness.goose bumps: see the first element.

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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > swelling > [noun] > a swelling or protuberance

ampereOE

kernelc1000

wenc1000

knot?c1225

swella1250

bulchc1300

bunchc1325

bolninga1340

botcha1387

bouge1398

nodusa1400

oedemaa1400

wax-kernel14..

knobc1405

nodule?a1425

more?c1425

bunnyc1440

papa1450

knurc1460

waxing kernel?c1460

lump?a1500

waxen-kernel1500

bump1533

puff1538

tumour?1541

swelling1542

elevation1543

enlarging1562

knub1563

pimple1582

ganglion1583

button1584

phyma1585

emphysema?1587

flesh-pimple1587

oedem?a1591

burgeon1597

wartle1598

hurtle1599

pough1601

wart1603

extumescence1611

hulch1611

peppernel1613

affusion1615

extumescency1684

jog1715

knibloch1780

tumefaction1802

hunch1803

income1808

intumescence1822

gibber1853

tumescence1859

whetstone1886

tumidity1897

Osler's node1920

the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part > a hump or lump

bulchc1300

lump?a1500

hillock?1527

bump1533

hulch1611

hump1709

hunch1803

mump1847

nib1847

wodge1847

hummock1864

1533 T. Paynell tr. U. von Hutten De Morbo Gallico xxiv. f. 62^v Guaiacum doth resolue and destroy meruaylously swellynges, getherynges to gether of yll matters, hardnesses, bumpis [L. sinus], and knobbes.

1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet i. iii. 55 It had vpon it brow, a bump as big as a young Cockrels stone; a perillous knock.

1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iii. ii. 71 The bumps in his flesh, which was like a bruised Pig.

1693 J. Dryden tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires xvi. 311 Not tho..in Bumps his Fore-head rise.

1714 D. Turner De Morbis Cutaneis i. ii. 42 A certain Itch..raising little Bumps under the Skin.

1782 F. Burney Cecilia II. iii. i. 14 My head all bumps, my cheek all cut, my nose big as two!

1844 J. Cowell Thirty Years among Players iv. 13/1 Young master wi' a big bump on his head instead o' his hat.

1883 H. Pyle Merry Adventures Robin Hood iii. iii. 111 Robin and those spoken of..had many a sore bump and bruise here and there on their bodies.

1922 Times 11 Dec. 19/2 A large bump on the right side of her head.

1980 Washington Post 1 Jan. d3/1 I will wait..until the bumps and bruises heal and then I will think about it.

2005 Associated Press State & Local Wire (Nexis) 3 Nov. Dickson..had a bump on his head and some soreness in his neck.

b. In phrenology: a prominence on the skull held to indicate a particular mental faculty or tendency. Hence: such a faculty or tendency. Now historical.

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the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > [noun] > bump on

bump1815

poll-hill1827

1815 Edinb. Rev. 25 251 The aforesaid bumps on the head are..signs of peculiar energy, in some of the special faculties.

1840 L. Cass France 53 He has fallen upon some shrewd countryman, disposed to test his bump of belief.

1863 C. Kingsley Water-babies iv. 165 She felt his bumps, and cast his nativity.

1929 J. Galsworthy Silent Wooing i, in Mod. Comedy 261 I reckon you haven't much bump of locality.

1976 S. Beckett For to end yet again & other Fizzles 14 Atop the cyclopean dome rising sheer from jut of brow yearns white to the grey sky the bump of habitativity or love of home.

2011 Star Beacon (Ashtabula, Ohio) (Nexis) 2 Oct. Fowler's other interest was phrenology... He identified the location of ‘bumps of knowledge’.

c. colloquial (originally British). The rounded abdomen of a visibly pregnant woman; (hence) an unborn child.baby bump: see baby n. and adj. Compounds 1g.

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1967 P. M. Fleury Maternity Care iii. 114 The surgeon..would come to view me clad in sheet up to my bump.

1986 Times 14 Jan. 12/7 The old idea was to hide ‘the bump’ under voluminous maternity dresses.

2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 13 Mar. ix. 1/3 Brides are not only not hiding their pregnancies, but they are showing them off,..wearing gowns that flatter their bump.

a. A protuberance on a surface, object, etc., esp. one that is otherwise more or less smooth or level.rare before 19th cent.

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the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part

busta1250

bouging1398

gibbosityc1400

embossingc1430

breasta1450

belly1591

tumour1601

extuberance1607

belly-piece1609

embossment1610

outswelling1611

extuberation1615

protuberation1615

swelling1615

extuberancy1634

popple1635

protuberance1635

emboss1644

extancy1644

bump1653

protuberancy1653

protuberating1667

swell1683

bulge1741

boss1791

bulging1828

protuberosity1860

tuber1888

1653 E. Elton Great Myst. Godlinesse Opened 132 Like a bump in a wall,..that upon a sodain falleth down to the ground.

1682 W. Hickes Grammatical Drollery 44 I did find a rising bump O'th' top [of the saddle].

?1793 J. Caulfield Blackguardiana at Bumper A full glass, in all likelihood from its convexity or bump at the top.

1825 J. Banim & M. Banim Tales by O'Hara Family 1st Ser. II. 126 I sat upon a small knoll, surrounded by curves and bumps.

1844 Dublin Univ. Mag. July 63/1 Each separate square [of glass]..was furnished with a thick green knot or bump in the centre.

1939 Fortune Oct. (verso front cover/2) (advt.) Head for the road that's full of bumps.

1965 Look 24 Aug. 2/1 (advt.) When one wheel goes klunk, on a bump, the other wheels do nothing at all.

2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 18 Oct. (Sports section) 11/2 A ‘point cloud’ picture that mimics..the track surface, including every crack, patch and bump.

b. figurative and in figurative contexts (originally U.S.). A problem or complication; a setback, an obstacle. Often (and earliest) in a bump in the road; also in to hit a bump.

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the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] > one who or that which hinders > a hindrance, impediment, or obstacle

hinderc1200

withsetting1340

obstaclec1385

traversea1393

mara1400

bayc1440

stoppagec1450

barrace1480

blocka1500

objecta1500

clog1526

stumbling-stone1526

bar1530

(to cast) a trump in (one's) way1548

stumbling-stock1548

hindrance1576

a log in one's way1579

crossbar1582

log1589

rub1589

threshold1600

scotch1601

dam1602

remora1604

obex1611

obstructiona1616

stumbling-blocka1616

fence1639

affront1642

retardance1645

stick1645

balk1660

obstruent1669

blockade1683

sprun1684

spoke1689

cross cause1696

uncomplaisance1707

barrier1712

obstruct1747

dike1770

abatis1808

underbrush1888

bunker1900

bump1909

sprag1914

hurdle1924

headwind1927

mudhole1933

monkey wrench1937

roadblock1945

1909 Des Moines (Iowa) News 22 Dec. 7/7 The Baltimore Federals' demand for a place in the international league was the bump in the road of amity which for a time defied steam rolling.

1956 Sat. Rev. 21 Jan. 23/3 If we don't hit a bump created by some sagging in business we are bound to hit a bump..as business is levelled out.

1971 Washington Post 1 July c4/3 The unanimous action..removed at least one bump on the rocky road toward construction of the sculpture garden.

2003 J. R. Lennon Mailman ii. viii. 422 They've been through so much, and this couldn't be more than a little bump in the road for them.

2016 Technol. Wire 27 Jan. Sales of Apple's iPhone hit a bump.

3. The corner at the top of the heel plate of a gunstock. Also as a mass noun: the extent to which this protrudes.

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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > stock or shaft > parts of

shaft1626

side plate1680

pistol hand1702

club1720

heel plate1753

break-off1804

shoulder-butt1810

pistol-butt1814

rifle butt1826

pistol grip1841

nose cap1844

trap1844

trap-plate1844

receiver1851

bump1852

furniture1852

bend1859

comb1867

fore-end1881

furniture-pin1881

grip1881

1852 P. Hawker in Spirit of Times 1 May 123/2 The stocks of the new arms should be..made with much less bump on the top of the heel-plate.

1885 Country Gentleman 12 Dec. 1583/1 The position..of the bump..must depend on the length of the neck of the shooter.

1910 Forest & Stream 26 Nov. 869/3 In this stock there is more than the usual bend at the bump or heel.

1952 Times 29 Nov. 2/4 For sale, double-barrel hammerless ejector Purdys in leather double motor case; condition very good..; horn heel-plate, cast off 3/8in. at bump.

2006 M. Yardley Gunfitting (ed. 2) iv. 47 Some guns do not have much, if any, bump.

4. Skiing and Snowboarding (chiefly North American). A mogul (mogul n.²). Frequently attributive.See also bump run n. at Compounds 2.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > skiing > [noun] > ski slope or run > specific part

fall line1938

run-out1943

bump1953

mogul1953

1953 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 3 Mar. 8/5 We..watched a few of our advanced skiers turning and jumping over the moguls (bumps or ‘knobs’, as an English girl in our class named them).

1972 Ski Mar. 75/2 (heading) Strategy for skiing bumps.

1996 Sunday Tel. 13 Oct. (Review section) 24/4 Boarders may skirt mogul runs, but this does not put them off St Anton, bump-skiing capital of the Alps.

2010 New Yorker 15 Mar. 59/3 As the extreme-ski ambassador Glen Plake once said, ‘If you can't ski bumps, you can't ski shit.’

II. An impact, and related senses.

a. A light blow; a jolting collision or impact; (also) a minor injury.

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the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > [noun] > striking heavily > a heavy blow > and dull

thump1552

bump1582

dousea1600

dousta1627

dub1837

duff1866

1582 G. Gifford Dialogue Papist & Protestant f. 50^v A very course armour wil defende a man from it [sc. a bolt from a crossbow]: it giueth but a bumpe, and neuer doth pearce, but rebounde backe againe.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Adot, a blow, bumpe, or thumpe.

1677 Duke of Newcastle & T. Shadwell Triumphant Widow ii. 17 He turn'd suddenly, and hit his Nose such a bump, ha, ha, ha, I had almost died with laughing.

a1745 J. Swift Wks. (1767) XVI. App. 14 Friend Rundall fell with grievous bump, Upon his reverential rump.

a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. i. 395 An unlucky bump upon the head [might have] rendered him stupid.

1839 Fraser's Mag. Mar. 364/1 Crash went the beauliah, with a heavy bump, upon a hidden shoal.

1892 London Society July 71 Two or three violent bumps which throw them from their seats.

1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. v. 181 He hesitated for a moment, as if uncertain whether to fall or remain standing; then did the former with a most emphatic bump.

1979 J. Harvey Plate Shop vi. 33 With one motion and no bump they received the apprentice in their arms and rested him on the stretcher.

2000 P. H. Wender ADHD ii. 27 The frequent bumps, falls, and scrapes that are the lot of younger children.

b. A dull thudding sound, as of one object colliding with another. Cf. bump adv.

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the world > movement > impact > [noun] > forcible, heavy, or violent > collision

hurtlinga1250

rackc1300

rasha1450

collision?a1475

fraying1489

running1538

conflict1555

jostling1580

intershock1611

jostle1611

allision1615

complosion1644

intershocking1652

rencounter1662

interfering1677

shocking1702

bump1843

cannoning1864

confliction1868

boink1963

1843 H. F. Gould Golden Vase 166 He wheeled on his flapping wings, till, ‘bump!’ His head went, hard on a farm-yard pump.

1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 10 When the pump descends, there is heard a plunge, a heavy sigh, and a loud bump.

1920 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-News 30 Oct. 12/2 The two Anderson autos came together with a resounding bump.

1982 Associated Press Newswire (Nexis) 30 Aug. Wilhelm was getting dressed in a room next to the kitchen when he heard a soft bump.

2015 Gloucestershire Echo (Nexis) 24 July 22 Tricia Sykes..heard a loud bump and thought her son had just fallen out of bed.

c. slang (originally and chiefly R.A.F.). In plural. In collocation with circuits: an act or the action of landing an aeroplane, carried out repeatedly as part of pilot training. Also more generally: an uneven landing.

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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > landing > bouncing or uneven

porpoising1911

ballooning1922

porpoise1931

bump1941

1941 War Illustr. 24 Jan. 76/3 ‘What did you do in the war, daddy? How did you help us to win?’ ‘Circuits and bumps and turns, laddie, And how to get out of a spin!’

1943 J. L. Hunt & A. G. Pringle Service Slang 19 Bumps, the touching down of the aircraft during landing due to uneven ground or bad handling.

1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose v. 207 Rather than keep him at the dreary round of circuits and bumps I had been teaching him aerobatics.

1977 G. Woods Bloody Harvest 8 I dozed, drifting in and out while the flies moved around like squadrons of Spitfires, using me as a landing strip for their circuits and bumps.

2016 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 1 Feb. 20 At the time of the accident, the pilot was doing circuits and bumps, practising landings and take-offs on one engine.

6. Rowing.

a. In the context of a race in which boats start at fixed intervals (chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge Universities): an act of touching, or beginning to overtake, the boat immediately ahead, thereby defeating it.A ‘bump’ entitles the victorious boat to start the next race ahead of the defeated boat.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race > actions

paddle1754

bump1838

shot1868

stride1883

overbump1895

1838 Bell's Life in London 24 June All the boats seems to have found their level on Saturday night, no bump taking place on that occasion.

1884 Sat. Rev. 12 July 47/1 An unexpected bump in May.

1933 V. Brittain Test. of Youth x. 512 I watched the upward progress of New College from bump to bump in the sociable atmosphere of the college barges.

1983 A. J. P. Taylor Personal Hist. v. 69 I rose to stroking a boat in the spring races and made four bumps.

2012 Oxf. Mail (Nexis) 27 Apr. The City third men's crew achieved a ‘bump’ in all four of their second division races and were awarded their blades.

b. Cambridge University and Oxford University colloquial. In plural. Races in which boats start at fixed intervals, the starting places being determined by ‘bumps’ (sense 6a) achieved in the previous race. Cf. bumps race n. at Compounds 1, bump race n. at Compounds 1, bumping race n. at bumping n.² Compounds 2.At the University of Cambridge there are two series of such races, ‘Lent bumps’ (in Lent term) and ‘May bumps’ (in Easter term). The Oxford equivalents are ‘Torpids’ (see torpid n. 1) and ‘Summer Eights’, held in Hilary and Trinity terms respectively, ‘bumps’ being an unofficial designation for either of these.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race

torpid1838

bumping race1842

row-over1866

sculls1878

May1879

Lents1886

fours1891

getting-on race1892

row-off1893

re-row1901

tub-race1903

bumper1906

bump1923

bumps race1927

head race1953

1923 Manch. Guardian 13 Feb. 13/5 (heading) Rowing at Cambridge. Prospects for the Lent ‘bumps’.

1973 Princeton Alumni Weekly 27 Nov. 34/1 Tom was doing graduate work..in between rowing for Churchill College in the May Bumps.

2015 Oxford Mail (Nexis) 15 May Magdalen College women's first eight will start fourth on the river in the University bumps in two weeks.

7. Mining. A sudden shift or slippage of the strata in a mine, often caused by the collapse of a supporting pillar; a mining incident or accident caused by this.

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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > tectonization or diastrophism > [noun] > subsidence

bump1860

roll1883

overdeepening1901

cauldron subsidence1909

load-casting1953

1860 Coal Mines: Rep. Inspectors 1859 33 in Parl. Papers XXIII. 1 He goes on working, it may be for years, thinking sprags and props an unnecessary precaution, until an unseen crack, a slippery parting, or a bump of the strata, causes a sudden fall, and he has either a narrow escape or is hurt or killed.

1893 Trans. Federated Instit. Mining Engineers 5 381 A bump (or earth explosion) occurred on November 5th, 1892.

1907 Mines & Quarries: Rep. Inspector Mines for Stafford District 1906 43 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 3449-VIII) XIII. 471 Have you formed any opinion as to the cause of ‘bumps’ in the Thick Coal, and have you any suggestion to make as to prevention?

1960 Times 31 May (S. Afr. Suppl.) p. xviii/1 That was a ‘bump’, a subterranean movement caused mainly by the settling of strata disturbed by mining activity.

2013 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 23 Oct. a2 The last [mining disaster] is known as the ‘Springhill bump,’ a rather benign description for an event that killed 74 miners.

8. Cricket. A sharp rise in the trajectory of a ball after pitching. Also: the capacity to bowl deliveries which rise sharply after pitching. Cf. bump v.¹ 8a. Now rare.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > [noun] > a ball bowled > motion of ball > specific

curl1833

screw1840

devil1845

rise1845

work1846

break1851

spin1851

hang1866

bump1867

fire1888

leg-spin1888

air break1900

turn1900

underspin1901

off-spin1904

finger spin1905

swing1906

back-spin1916

outswing1921

inswing1927

away swing1936

wrist-spin1960

1867 G. H. Selkirk Guide to Cricket Ground v. 82 The only thing requisite being for the ball to be narrowly watched, so that an unexpected ‘bump’ or twist may not take it over the head or out of reach.

1901 R. H. Lyttelton Out-door Games i. 31 A man who plays fairly straight,..and can meet the ball with the bat when it comes on straight with no hang or bump.

1926 Times of India 21 Sept. 11/2 Ramji depends on his bump and a batsman's lack of caution.

1932 Manch. Guardian 1 Dec. 9/7 The Sydney wicket..will be prepared with an eye on taking the ‘bump’ and ‘kick’ out of Larwood and Voce.

9. Aeronautics. A localized region of turbulent air that causes an aircraft to make a sudden upward or downward movement; a movement of this type.

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the world > matter > gas > air > [noun] > air above our heads > deep hollow in

gulf1712

bump1909

air pocket1910

hole in the air1911

pocket1911

1909 Trans. Amer. Soc. Mech. Engineers 30 717 At an elevation of 1000 ft. the wind is practically steady. Here the aëronaut would neither be in reach of the billows nor run into the ruts and hills and bumps of the invisible air.

1918 E. M. Roberts Flying Fighter 279 When correcting bumps or small erratic air currents one has often to resort to his inclinometer.

1971 Flying Dec. 84/3 During that descent, you might run into some bumps, and you sure don't want to hit them with the airspeed up in the yellow arc.

2014 Reporter (Logan, Queensland) (Nexis) 13 June 35 We make it into the air, but it isn't long before we get the all-too-familiar bumps and shudders of a plane hitting turbulence.

10.

a. colloquial (originally U.S.). The act of suddenly thrusting forward the abdomen or hips, usually in a repeated sequence, as part of a sexually provocative or erotic dance. Usually collocated with grind. Cf. bump and grind adj. and n.

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society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [noun] > movement > specific movements

gambol1509

gamond?a1513

frisco?1520

brawl1521

frisk1525

friscal1570

goat's jump1589

caper1592

capriole1596

capering1598

amble1607

friscado1634

rising1694

sink1706

moulinet1785

ballon1828

toeing1871

bump1931

heel turn1933

partnering1939

grind1946

shake1946

thigh lift1949

cambré1952

1931 B. Sobel Burleycue 127 The girls who did the ‘grinds’ and ‘bumps’.

1967 Boston Globe 5 Apr. 59/3 A largely nude shimmy dancer put in all the bumps and grinds with a gyrating G.I.

2004 Time Out N.Y. 10 June 71/2 The Red Hots gals take over this erstwhile dive bar for an evening of bumps, grinds and comedic stylings.

b. With the. A disco dance, popular esp. in the 1970s, in which participants jerk their hips and buttocks to collide with another dancer in time to the beat.Compare the earlier and more sexually provocative bump and grind n.

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society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > jerky dances > [noun]

pogoing1921

truck1935

trucking1935

jerk1964

bump1967

1967 R. Ottley & W. J. Weatherby Negro in New York xvi. 247 Out of these movements grew such dances as ‘The Bump’ and the ‘Mess Around’.

1979 ‘Sugarhill Gang’ Rapper's Delight (long version) (transcribed from song) And when you come inside, into the front You..do the bump.

2004 S. Olson Children of God go Bowling xv. 134 Lucy..grabbed Adam by the hand, dragging him off to the dance floor. They were doing the bump, and I wandered off.

11. colloquial.

a. An increase, an upturn, esp. in value, ratings, etc.

ΚΠ

1946 Observer 3 Nov. 6/5 The last-chance-technique..produces a bump in the small savings figures which may reflect the investment of idle cash.

1979 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 1 Aug. For the first seven months, the VSE's value increased 47 per cent on a 7 per cent bump in number of shares traded.

1992 N.Y. Times 18 Oct. i. 24/5 The independent candidate..enjoyed a bump in public esteem after his performance in the debates this week.

2016 Coventry Evening Tel. (Nexis) 18 Jan. 42 There was also a bump for Ben Stokes, whose fine series with bat and ball has taken him to number six in the all-rounders ranking.

b. Originally U.S. A promotion at work; a pay rise.

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society > occupation and work > working > career > [noun] > promotion or upgrading

advancementc1325

promotion?a1425

promoving1496

motion1641

lift1711

upgrading1920

bump1949

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > wage structures and scales > [noun] > wage rise

rise1836

raise1898

pay rise1936

pay raise1938

bump1949

1949 New Yorker 5 Nov. 77/1 Leave him do a couple pitchas and I guarantee you I'll get him a bump.

1957 A. Myrer Big War i. x. 129 You got a bump to sergeant last night.

1989 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 28 June ii. 16 The bumps in earnings come when we sell an Aromic unit.

2014 M. Schwartz Class Div. on Broadway Stage v. 76 The miners won a wage bump of a dollar a day.

12. Originally and chiefly British. In plural, usually with the. A custom in which a person is held horizontally by the arms and legs and lifted up and down, sometimes being bumped on the floor each time. Frequently in to give a person the bumps.Often carried out on a person celebrating a birthday, with one lift or bump on the floor given for each year of age.

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1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren x. 199 Bumps. The 10-year-old Birmingham girl..says of ‘Bumps’: ‘This is..for someone who is unpopular. Two pretty hefty people get hold of the person's legs and arms and bump them on the ground.’

1982 S. Townsend Secret Diary Adrian Mole 186 Boz, Baz, Daz, Maz, Kev and Melv came back from the canal and gave me the bumps.

2008 Independent 11 Mar. 14/6 Prescott's memoirs..will be published 29 May, two days before his 70th birthday. Best of British to comrades giving the bumps.

13. slang. A small dose of a recreational drug, typically one which is inhaled as a powder. Cf. hit n. 1b.

ΚΠ

1985 D. Bodey F.N.G. 172 How about a quick bump off that bowl?

2005 Guardian (Nexis) 10 Oct. (G2 section) 36 I took some bumps of coke.

Phrases

P1. North American colloquial.

a. like a bump on a log: in a state of silence, immobility, passivity, or insignificance.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [adjective]

sloweOE

stuntc960

dullOE

hardOE

stuntlyc1000

sotc1050

dillc1175

dulta1225

simplea1325

heavy1340

astonedc1374

sheepishc1380

dull-witteda1387

lourd1390

steerishc1411

ass-likea1425

brainless?a1439

deafc1440

sluggishc1450

short-witted1477

obtuse1509

peakish1519

wearish1519

deaf, or dumb as a beetle1520

doileda1522

gross1526

headlessa1530

stulty1532

ass-headed1533

pot-headed1533

stupid?1541

sheep's head1542

doltish1543

dumpish1545

assish1548

blockish1548

slow-witted1548

blockheaded1549

surd1551

dull-headed1552

hammer-headed1552

skit-brained?1553

buzzardly1561

witless1562

log-headeda1566

assy1566

sottish1566

dastardly1567

stupidious1567

beetle-headed1570

calvish1570

bluntish1578

cod's-headed1578

grout-headed1578

bedaft1579

dull-pated1580

blate1581

buzzard-like1581

long-eared1582

dullard1583

woodena1586

duncical1588

leaden-headed1589

buzzard1592

dorbellical1592

dunstical1592

heavy-headeda1593

shallow-brained1592

blunt-witted1594

mossy1597

Bœotian1598

clay-brained1598

fat1598

fat-witted1598

knotty-pated1598

stupidous1598

wit-lost1599

barren1600

duncifiedc1600

lourdish1600

stockish1600

thick1600

booby1603

leaden-pated1603

partless1603

thin-headed1603

leaden-skulledc1604

blockhead1606

frost-brained1606

ram-headed1608

beef-witted1609

insulse1609

leaden-spirited1609

asininec1610

clumse1611

blockheadly1612

wattle-headed1613

flata1616

logger-headeda1616

puppy-headeda1616

shallow-patedc1616

thick-brained1619

half-headed1621

buzzard-blinda1625

beef-brained1628

toom-headed1629

thick-witted1634

woollen-witted1635

squirrel-headed1637

clod-pated1639

lean-souled1639

muddy-headed1642

leaden-witteda1645

as sad as any mallet1645

under-headed1646

fat-headed1647

half-witted1647

insipid1651

insulsate1652

soft-headed1653

thick-skulleda1657

muddish1658

non-intelligent1659

whey-brained1660

sap-headed1665

timber-headed1666

leather-headeda1668

out of (one's) tree1669

boobily1673

thoughtless1673

lourdly1674

logger1675

unintelligenta1676

Bœotic1678

chicken-brained1678

under-witted1683

loggerhead1684

dunderheaded1692

unintelligible1694

buffle-headed1697

crassicc1700

numbskulled1707

crassous1708

doddy-polled1708

haggis-headed1715

niddy-noddy1722

muzzy1723

pudding-headed1726

sumphish1728

pitcher-souleda1739

duncey1743

hebete1743

chuckheaded1756

dumb1756

duncely1757

imbecile1766

mutton-headed1768

chuckle-headed1770

jobbernowl1770

dowfarta1774

boobyish1778

wittol1780

staumrel1787

opaquec1789

stoopid1791

mud-headed1793

borné1795

muzzy-headed1798

nog-headed1800

thick-headed1801

gypit1804

duncish1805

lightweight1809

numbskull1814

tup-headed1816

chuckle-pate1820

unintellectuala1821

dense1822

ninnyish1822

dunch1825

fozy1825

potato-headed1826

beef-headed1828

donkeyish1831

blockheadish1833

pinheaded1837

squirrel-minded1837

pumpkin-headed1838

tomfoolish1838

dundering1840

chicken-headed1842

like a bump on a log1842

ninny-minded1849

numbheadeda1852

nincompoopish1852

suet-brained1852

dolly1853

mullet-headed1853

sodden1853

fiddle-headed1854

numb1854

bovine1855

logy1859

crass1861

unsmart1861

off his chump1864

wooden-headed1865

stupe1866

lean-minded1867

duffing1869

cretinous1871

doddering1871

thick-head1873

doddling1874

stupido1879

boneheaded1883

woolly-headed1883

leaden-natured1889

suet-headed1890

sam-sodden1891

dopey1896

turnip-headed1898

bonehead1903

wool-witted1905

peanut-headed1906

peanut-brained1907

dilly1909

torpid-minded1909

retardate1912

nitwitted1917

meat-headed1918

mug1922

cloth-headed1925

loopy1925

nitwit1928

lame-brained1929

dead from the neck up1930

simpy1932

nail-headed1936

square-headed1936

dingbats1937

pinhead1939

dim-witted1940

pea-brained1942

clueless1943

lobotomized1943

retarded1949

pointy-headed1950

clottish1952

like a stunned mullet1953

silly (or crazy) as a two-bob watch1954

out to lunch1955

pin-brained1958

dozy1959

eejity1964

out of one's tiny mind1965

doofus1967

twitty1967

twittish1969

twatty1975

twattish1976

blur1977

dof1979

goofus1981

dickheaded1991

dickish1991

numpty1992

cockish1996

1842 Spirit of Times 10 Sept. 330/1 For weeks past we have remained constantly ‘at home’ in our sanctum, ‘sitting like a bump on a log’.

1860 J. Kingsbury Let. 20 Sept. in J. Elder & D. Weber Trading in Santa Fe (1996) 253 I have been sitting here like a bump on a log doing nothing in the way of collections.

1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xviii. 232 With that he drove on and left the fellow standing there in the road like a bump on a log!

1982 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 19 Dec. There is no need for anyone to sit there like a bump on a log and not participate in the conversation.

2014 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 13 Sept. c7 I was left like a bump on a log and didn't know what to do.

b. a bump on a log: (the type of) a silent, immobile, passive, or insignificant person or thing.

ΚΠ

1856 N.Y. Herald 8 Sept. 1/3 He [sc. Millard Fillmore] is not as much as a bump on a log.

1872 N.Y. Times 7 Apr. 7/5 To hev ter confess he's a slingin' ink Over sich a bump on a log, Who didn't amount to shucks in a row.

1916 Amer. Sheep Breeder Sept. 542/1 A man would have to be a bump on a log, indeed, who would sit down and do nothing for the young men around.

1989 R. Baker Good Times i. 7 Russell, you've got no more gumption than a bump on a log.

2015 C. Ace Corpse with Sapphire Eyes 73 Still as active as a bump on a log, is she, Bud?

P2. with a bump: abruptly, suddenly; with a shock.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb]

feringc1000

ferlyc1000

suddenlyc1290

feringlya1300

in a braida1400

sudden?1404

of (a) suddentyc1440

at a braid1549–62

on or upon a (or the) sudden1558

at a (orthe) sudden1562

in a sudden1562

abruptly1565

on or upon (a) suddenty?1567

of a sudden1570

upon a very great sudden1572

in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587

plump1594

unaware1667

surprisedly1680

a-start1721

abruptedly1784

with a bump1872

just so1971

1872 Cleveland (Ohio) Morning Daily Herald 18 May Suppl. Oh! that I had left the Abbey while I was still lifted up above common things. Unfortunately I..came down to earth with a bump.

1920 O. W. Holmes Let. 6 Apr. in Holmes-Laski Lett. (1953) I. 259 I must go in 5 minutes to a conference of the JJ and therefore run down with a bump.

1955 E. Hillary High Adventure ix. 171 I came back to full consciousness with a bump.

2003 C. Fifield in K. Ferrier Lett. & Diaries iii. 57 After the enervating success of New York it was back to earth with a bump, a slow train journey to Ottawa, Illinois, and increasing worries about the mental health of her accompanist.

P3. musical bumps: see musical adj. Compounds 1.

Compounds

C1. attributive. With first element in singular or plural. Rowing. Chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge Universities: designating a race in which boats start at fixed intervals, the starting places being determined by ‘bumps’ (see sense 6b) achieved in the previous race. Also: designating a college event celebrating achievements in such races. Cf. bumping race n. at bumping n.² Compounds 2.

bump race n.

ΚΠ

1858 Era 6 June 14/3 The first heat, which was a bump race.

1948 Washington Post 12 May 14 b/2 When he was Provost at Queens College, Oxford, the crew..won six bump races.

2011 E. Timms Taking up Torch vi. 80 The river was..scene of Bump Races in the spring.

bumps race n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race

torpid1838

bumping race1842

row-over1866

sculls1878

May1879

Lents1886

fours1891

getting-on race1892

row-off1893

re-row1901

tub-race1903

bumper1906

bump1923

bumps race1927

head race1953

1927 Daily Mirror 9 June 2/3 (heading) ‘Bumps’ race on radio.

1964 Guardian 13 Mar. 7/6 The cox of Clare's third boat during the Lent bumps races.

2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 17 May g1 A small, quiet pub..adorned with oars from the bumps races of past years.

bump supper n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > meal > [noun] > evening meal or supper

supperc1300

collationc1305

mid-dinnera1500

Sunday suppera1580

supper1598

evening meal1620

late dinner1649

ordinary suppera1661

petit souper1751

souper1787

ball supper1794

tray supper1825

kitchen supper1837

bump supper1845

evenmeat1848

tea-dinner1862

luncheon1903

the world > food and drink > food > meal > feast > [noun] > feasts for other occasions

plough feast1355

king ale1472

natal1484

primifeste1551

mayor's feast1578

sheep-shearing feast1586

sheep-shearing1611

christening1617

bean-feast1805

updrinking1819

Thanksgiving dinner1830

bump supper1845

potlatch1858

stag1904

rehearsal dinner1906

1845 J. Pycroft Collegian's Guide vii. 149 A..bump supper, which, in plain English, means a little jovialty to celebrate..bumping in a boat-race.

1940 J. Buchan Memory Hold-the-Door iii. 61 Raymond [Asquith] wrote the poem,..On a Viscount who died on the Morrow of a Bump Supper.

2001 Daily Tel. 9 Feb. 31 He was a fine speaker at college occasions..—a skill which he had displayed notably in earlier days at Balliol bump suppers.

bumps supper n.

ΚΠ

1930 Manch. Guardian 24 Feb. 14/2 There was the usual time-honoured, boisterous roistering in Cambridge in connection with the bumps supper on Saturday.

1997 Guardian (Nexis) 2 Aug. Among his duties [as college master] will be undergraduate sherry parties, Bumps Suppers for rowing teams and angling for commercial money.

2013 W. Whyte in J. Hamlett Residential Institut. Brit. (2016) x. 165 Truscot did not want to create a Redbrick world of sported oaks or hilarious bumps suppers.

C2.

bump absorber n. now rare a device, esp. on a motor vehicle, for absorbing bumps and jolts; cf. shock absorber n. 1.

ΚΠ

1908 Westm. Gaz. 3 Oct. 3/2 Pneumatic bump-absorbers.

1973 Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 13 July a-5 (advt.) Bump absorbers... Heavy rubber strips..to absorb the shock of minor impacts.

bump ball n. Cricket a ball hit hard on to the ground close to the bat, esp. one which appears to carry to a fielder for a catch; cf. bum ball at bum n.⁵

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke

long ball1744

nip1752

catch1816

no-hit1827

cut1833

short hit1833

draw1836

drive1836

square hit1837

skylarker1839

skyer1840

skyscraper1842

back-cut1845

bum1845

leg sweep1846

slog1846

square cut1850

driver1851

Harrow drive1851

leg slip1852

poke1853

snick1857

snorter1859

leg stroke1860

smite1861

on-drive1862

bump ball1864

rocketer1864

pull1865

grass trimmer1867

late cut1867

off-drive1867

spoon1871

push1873

push stroke1873

smack1875

Harrow drive1877

pull-stroke1880

leg glance1883

gallery-hit1884

boundary-stroke1887

glide1888

sweep1888

boundary1896

hook1896

leg glide1896

backstroke1897

flick1897

hook stroke1897

cover-drive1898

straight drive1898

square drive1900

edger1905

pull-drive1905

slash1906

placing stroke1907

push drive1912

block shot1915

if-shot1920

placing shot1921

cow-shot1922

mow1925

Chinese cut1937

haymaker1954

hoick1954

perhapser1954

air shot1956

steepler1959

mishook1961

swish1963

chop-

1864 Bell's Life in London 30 July 9/1 This change soon got rid of Willsher (who was given out, as many thought, from a ‘bump ball’).

1963 Times 18 Feb. 10/2 When an appeal was made the umpire ruled that it was a bump ball.

2002 Guardian 12 Sept. 28/7 Umpires..can now refer a multitude of decisions to the television umpire for clarification, including..suspected bump balls.

bump car n. originally and chiefly North American = bumper car n. at bumper n.¹ and adj. Compounds 3; cf. Dodgem n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > fairground or amusement park > [noun] > fairground ride > dodgems > car

bump car1937

bumper car1938

1937 K. Hull & P. Whitlock Far-distant Oxus xx. 276 The six wandered off to have turns on the bump cars.

1968 N.Y. Amsterdam News 28 Sept. 51/5 Merry-go-rounds, bump cars, and other thrill rides.

2015 Philippines Daily Inquirer (Nexis) 15 Dec. Jasper was lukewarm for the most part of the conversation, until the idea of riding in bump cars sank in.

bump-draft v. North American Motor Racing transitive (of a vehicle or its driver) to bump the back of (another vehicle) while travelling in its slipstream, in order to increase the speed of both vehicles; also intransitive.

ΚΠ

1983 Road & Track Feb. 72/3 After Monday's lapping session the three of us..found..the cars could be bump-drafted.

1999 Atlanta Jrnl. & Constit. (Nexis) 14 Feb. 14 e I'm sure he..was just trying to push me along. You bump draft a little here, and he kind of caught it the wrong way and turned me sideways.

2014 S. Ulfelder Wolverine Bros. Freight & Storage xvi. 89 It's a big strategy for going fast at Talladega and Daytona. I bump-drafted the Excursion.

bump draft n. North American Motor Racing an instance of bump drafting.

ΚΠ

1988 Car & Driver Jan. 162/3 To effect a bump-draft, a closely following driver first nuzzles the rump of the vehicle just ahead. If the vehicles are moving fast enough, perhaps 75 mph or more, an air pressure envelope holds them together.

2014 Florida Times-Union (Nexis) 23 Feb. c11 I got a bump draft from Trevor [Bayne] almost at the exact time that I started pulling off of the 22 car.

bump drafting n. North American Motor Racing a technique in which one vehicle bumps the back of another while travelling in its slipstream, in order to increase the speed of both vehicles.Typically involving members of the same racing team.

ΚΠ

1987 Los Angeles Times 3 Dec. iii. 12/3 They do a lot of bump-drafting where the car in back actually pushes the car in front with both of them flat-out on the throttle.

2005 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 2 May s7/1 Many drivers were seeing red over the racing conditions..and the blatant disregard competitors gave to NASCAR's prerace suggestion against bump drafting.

bump map n. (in computer graphics) a file specifying how a given computer-generated object is to be illuminated so as to provide it with a textured appearance, typically taking the form of a greyscale image in which the shade of each pixel determines how brightly a corresponding pixel on the surface of the object is illuminated; cf. bump mapping n.

ΚΠ

1985 Computer Graphics (ACM SIGGRAPH) 19 No. 3 305/1 Bark is simulated with a bump map digitized from real world bark.

1999 PC Mag. 1 Sept. 44 The bump map simulates directional lighting and creates an illusion of depth in a rough surface.

2011 A. Chopine 3D Art Ess. xi. 159 Bump maps are sufficient for shallow types of roughness such as from a brick, an orange, or a golf ball.

bump mapping n. (in computer graphics) any of various techniques for providing the surface of a computer-generated object with a textured appearance by manipulating the calculations that determine how each pixel is illuminated.Bump mapping does not change the geometry of the surface of the object, and is for this reason often less demanding computationally than other techniques.

ΚΠ

1983 IEEE Spectrum Feb. 50/2 These techniques include texture mapping.., bump mapping.., color, and lighting models.

1999 Personal Computer World June 178/2 Advanced features include an 8-bit stencil buffer, anisotropic filtering and bump mapping.

2014 R. Elias Digital Media xii. 602 Bump mapping uses the brightness values of an image. Bright regions will look raised while dark regions look sunk.

bump-off n. slang (originally U.S.) (now rare) a murder; cf. to bump off at bump v.¹ Phrasal verbs 1.

ΚΠ

?1921 E. Hemingway Ash Heel's Tendon in N.Y. Times Mag. (1985) 18 Aug. 23/3 An exorbitant price for a simple bump-off job.

1934 R. Chandler Finger Man in Black Mask Oct. 11/2 ‘They pushed him on to the roadway, filled with lead’... ‘It was a nasty bump-off.’

1975 J. Porter All about Beer i. 9 Cornering the market in submachine guns and wholesale bump-offs.

bump-out n. originally and chiefly U.S. an extension of a room or building that creates a projection from a wall; frequently attributive; cf. to bump out at bump v.¹ 15b.

ΚΠ

1977 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 3 Apr. 45/2 (advt.) 2 bdrm. trailer close to the air base, has two bump-outs and shed.

1991 Pop. Sci. May 45/2 At the front of the house, a ‘bump-out’ bay window is to be built using new Marvin double-hung sashes.

2005 S. Amick Lake, River & Other Lake xxiii. 98 The Weneshkeen Heritage Museum, which is a small bay-windowed bump-out in the public library.

bump run n. Skiing (chiefly North American) a ski run with many small mounds of snow; cf. mogul n.²

ΚΠ

1973 B. Mann Hot Dog Skiing iv. 64 It is much more difficult to ski a big bump run on a cloudy, flat day than it is to ski through slalom.

1987 Toronto Star (Nexis) 14 Mar. f19 My instructor/guide..assured me all the trails, except for some bump runs, were groomed every night.

2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 Mar. v. 11/4 We took the lift to the top and skied down.., following one another down wide-open bowls, through the trees, down bump runs, trying to keep the same line as the person in front of us.

† bump-stick n. Obsolete a shoemaker's tool for smoothing leather shoe soles.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > for smoothing

St Hugh's bones1600

bump-stick1670

sandpaper stick1882

seat-file1891

1670 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) xxvi. 126 Also of Box are made..Bump-sticks, and Dressers for the Shooe-maker.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Box It [sc. Boxwood] makes also..Bump-Sticks and Dressers for Shoemakers.

bump stop n. (in a vehicle) a device designed to protect the suspension when it is compressed suddenly and forcefully, typically consisting of a tough, compressible attachment mounted between two moving parts of the suspension.

ΚΠ

1938 Proc. Inst. Automobile Engineers 32 451 A rubber bump stop now becomes essential, and in practice a rubber rebound stop is also required.

1976 F. Puhn How to make your Car Handle iv. 135/1 If the car is driven and hits a bump, the spring should compress still more—perhaps another 4 inches before the suspension hits the bump stop.

2005 Pop. Mech. Nov. 117/1 Thoroughly inspect each bump stop, which may be either a pillow- or cone-shaped chunk of black rubber.

bump-up n. †(a) slang (apparently) a murder; = bump-off n. (obsolete. rare); (b) a sudden increase (cf. sense 11 and to bump up 1 at bump v.¹ Phrasal verbs 1).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > rapid or sharp increase

mushroom growth1727

skyrocketing1821

wave1851

jump1883

mushrooming1916

bump-up1927

upsurgence1934

upsurge1935

explosion1953

surge1964

quantum jump1975

quantum leap1977

1927 Sat. Rev. 26 Feb. 306/1 A surfeit of small arms,..show-downs, bump-ups, and other atmospheric conditions of..New Mexico.

1938 North-China Herald 2 Nov. 215/5 The real value of a successful novel is the bump-up that it gives to the author's price with magazine editors.

1955 Wichita Falls (Texas) Times 25 Dec. 6 a/3 Defense outlays..won't give business a bump up, but they won't be a drag either.

2000 Wall St. Jrnl. 15 June c21/3 By deferring payments, that same person would earn a retirement credit that amounts to a bump-up of 6% a year.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

bumpn.³

Brit.

/bʌmp/, U.S.

/bəmp/

Forms: 1700s– bump, 1800s bomp.

Origin: Of unknown origin.

Etymology: Origin unknown.

1. A type of coarse yarn made from refuse cotton (formerly also from refuse wool or flax); fabric made from such yarn. Cf. candle-wick n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > other

bustian1424

cotton tissed1585

Manchester1589

cannequin1598

madapollam1685

burdet1710

antherine1739

canque1750

jaconet1769

medium1777

bump1794

American sheeting1840

American cloth1851

American leather1858

gala1858

Merikani1860

T cloth1865

dhurrie1880

Americani1881

Tarantulle1890

Aertex1896

Tobralco1910

limbric1930

Ventile1954

1794 R. Lowe Gen. View Agric. Nottingham 126 At Gamston, near Radford, a mill which occasionally spins worsted, cotton, and bump.

a1824 J. Briggs Remains (1825) 174 A robust girl, in a short petticoat of Kendal bump.

1868 A. Sedgwick Mem. Cowgill Chapel 58 Some of it [sc. wool] was..spun into a very coarse and clumsy thread; and so it supplied the material for a kind of rude manufacture, that went, I think, under the elegant name of Bump.

1918 Textile World Jrnl. 9 Feb. 25/3 In England large quantities [of reclaimed cotton fibers] are used for the making of candle wick or ‘bump’.

2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 15 Sept. d2/1 Dressmaker curtains, the kind that are interlined with bump or domette—thick woven cottons that insulate and block sunlight.

2. A kind of matting used as a floor covering, probably made of bump (sense 1). Now historical and rare.In all quots. referring to the furnishings of the British House of Commons.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > floor-covering > [noun] > mat > types of

tatami1614

bent-mat1615

bass-mat1727

bump1835

bast mat1837

parawai1847

brocade-matting1902

hooked mat1917

sit-mat1924

1835 Ann. Reg. 1834 162/1 He pulled up the bump (a sort of floor-cloth), which was upon the stone against Black Rod's box.

1838 Ventilation of House 1 in Parl. Papers 1837–8 (H.C. 725) XXXVI. 345 Carpeting, bump, and hair-cloth, and taking up and cleaning the same.

2012 C. Shenton Day Parl. burned Down iv. 62 It was a big operation.., as it required all the floor matting and bump to be taken up by someone from the Office of Works.

Compounds

C1. General attributive and objective.

ΚΠ

1817 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire III. 484 Bump or Bomp-spinning Mills.

1838 Sheffield Independent 3 Mar. He..found the blankets and the bump sheet.

1908 H. B. Heylin Cotton Weaver's Handbk. 170 Coarse numbers below 3^s, used for weft purposes in counterpanes and other coarse fabrics, are termed ‘bump’ yarns.

1971 Business Hist. Rev. 45 350 Industrialization also brought new techniques in reclamation:..waste silk from reeling was retrieved as spun silk; and waste cotton as bump cotton.

2008 K. D. King Cool Couture 15/2 Drapery interlining flannel, also known as bump cloth, is quite sumptuous and hangs well.

C2.

bump mill n. a factory in which bump (sense 1) is manufactured.Now only in place names.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [noun] > manufacture of fabric from specific materials > place for manufacture of other fabrics

bump mill1817

1817 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire III. 370 Past the Bump-Mill.

1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §36 5 Spinner, bump mill..spins candle wick yarn from coarse cotton waste.

2014 Matlock Mercury (Nexis) 18 May Walton Bump Mill, one of the earliest buildings in the world to be fire proofed in this way.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

bumpv.¹

Brit.

/bʌmp/, U.S.

/bəmp/

Forms: 1500s– bump, 1500s–1600s bumpe.

Origin: Probably an imitative or expressive formation.

Etymology: Probably imitative of the sound of a blow (compare bum v.³, thump v.). Compare earlier bump n.² (first attested later in senses corresponding to branch I.).In senses relating to bulging or swelling (see branch II.) after bump n.²

I. To strike or knock heavily or firmly, and related senses.

†1. transitive. To strike or smite heavily; to beat, to thump; to assail. Also with about. Obsolete.

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the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > strike with specific degree of force [verb (transitive)] > strike heavily

cloutc1330

bunch1362

sousec1520

blad1524

dauda1572

bum1581

bump1611

bash1833

twat1974

1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos v. sig. P.iij With both his armes he bumpes.

1566 J. Studley tr. Seneca Medea v. f. 45 Whom bumping with thy rapping post Megera wilt thou crush [L. quem trabe infesta petit Megaera]?

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Baculer, to bumpe on the Posteriorums with a Bat.

1649 More Light Shining Bucks. 9 Thumping and bumping the Pulpit cushions.

1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. ii. 268 That antagonist whom he bumps and pummels so furiously.

1783 Fairing 78 Whittington..would have lived happily in this worthy Family, had he not been bumped about by the cross Cook.

2. slang.

a. transitive. To have (vigorous) sexual intercourse with; to copulate with.Earliest in unbumped. Apparently unrecorded between the 18th and 20th centuries.

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the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with

mingeOE

haveOE

knowc1175

ofliec1275

to lie with (or by)a1300

knowledgec1300

meetc1330

beliea1350

yknowc1350

touchc1384

deala1387

dightc1386

usea1387

takec1390

commona1400

to meet witha1400

servea1400

occupy?a1475

engender1483

jangle1488

to be busy with1525

to come in1530

visitc1540

niggle1567

mow1568

to mix one's thigh with1593

do1594

grind1598

pepper1600

yark1600

tumble1603

to taste of1607

compressc1611

jumble1611

mix?1614

consort?1615

tastea1616

bumfiddle1630

ingressa1631

sheet1637

carnal1643

night-work1654

bump1669

bumble1680

frig?c1680

fuck1707

stick1707

screw1719

soil1722

to do over1730

shag1770

hump1785

subagitatec1830

diddle1879

to give (someone) onec1882

charver1889

fuckeec1890

plugc1890

dick1892

to make a baby1911

to know (a person) in the biblical sense1912

jazz1920

rock1922

yentz1924

roll1926

to make love1927

shtupa1934

to give (or get) a tumble1934

shack1935

bang1937

to have it off1937

rump1937

tom1949

to hop into bed (with)1951

ball1955

to make it1957

plank1958

score1960

naughty1961

pull1965

pleasurea1967

to have away1968

to have off1968

dork1970

shaft1970

bonk1975

knob1984

boink1985

fand-

1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais 2nd Bk. Wks. xxvi. 170 There escape not one unbumped by me.]

1669 Songs Alamode in New Acad. Complements 257 I'z bump thee quoth he..How lik'st it quoth he, well Thomas quoth she.

1772 T. Bridges Burlesque Transl. Homer (rev. ed.) v. 188 It odd is For mortal man to bump a Goddess.

1989 ‘3rd Bass’ Steppin' to the A.M in J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1994) I. (at cited word) You're bumpin' a freak.

1992 R. C. Cruz Straight outta Compton 50 I bumped her booty hard until I reached the point where I almost dropped dead.

b. intransitive. To have (vigorous) sexual intercourse; to copulate with; cf. to bump uglies at Phrases 3b, bump and grind v. 1.

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1975 R. Wright Rocking xi. 116 Just because we don't want to bump around with them [sc. men] doesn't mean we can't flirt.

2003 S. Bacon & J. Daniels Draw me with your Love vi. 55 I had been bumping with Mya for about six months now, regardless of the fact that Mya was married to a man.

2011 M. McCafferty Bumped 277 I haven't bumped with Jondoe!

a. transitive. To collide heavily or firmly with (a person or thing); to inflict a bump or jolt upon; to knock.Apparently not recorded in the 18th cent.

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the world > movement > impact > impinge upon [verb (transitive)] > cause to impinge > forcibly or violently

knocka1340

runa1425

rap1440

jowlc1470

dauda1572

sousea1593

bedash1609

bob1612

bump1673

bebump1694

boup1715

bonk1929

prang1952

1673 E. Hickeringill Gregory 162 The Butt-end of his Gun bumps his own breast, and fells him with the Recoil.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Epic in Poems (new ed.) II. 2 Three times slipping from the outer edge, I bump'd the ice into three several stars.

1884 Army & Navy Q. Oct. 403 You cannot send a small current through for testing, unless a boat or a friendly ship bumps the mine for you.

1925 Motor Boating Mar. 23/1 We bumps a sand bar and then the current it swings us around.

1968 G. M. Williams From Scenes like These xii. 304 Bumping a guy in the face with his elbow.

2014 Z. F. Robinson This ain't Chicago i. 30 Flour..rose and settled as she inadvertently bumped the counter space.

b. intransitive. To collide heavily or firmly with a person or thing; to make contact in such a way as to experience a bump or jolt. Chiefly with into, against.

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the world > movement > impact > impinge [verb (intransitive)] > forcibly or violently

beatc885

pilta1200

smitec1300

dashc1305

pitchc1325

dushc1400

hitc1400

jouncec1440

hurl1470

swack1488

knock1530

jut1548

squat1587

bump1699

jowl1770

smash1835

lasha1851

ding1874

biff1904

wham1948

slam1973

1699 Cervantes' Don Quixote ii. v. 158 The Fountain was but shallow, and their Arses bumped against the bottom.

1789 Family Mag. Jan. 43 My heart bumped so, you might have heard it.

1791 World 24 June The ship bumped several times very hard upon the sands.

1857 J. G. Holland Bay-path xxv. 301 His heart bumped So heavily against the walls of his chest.

1885 M. D. Chalmers Law Times 80 191/1 Due to the cask bumping against the cellar wall.

1951 J. D. Salinger Catcher in Rye xxi. 188 I had to be careful not to bump into anything and make a racket.

1960 C. Day Lewis Buried Day ii. 38 Moths bumped against the lamp chimneys.

2003 Independent 14 July (Review section) 2/1 People bumping into you on the subway.

c. transitive. To bring (something, esp. one's head) heavily or firmly into contact with something; to cause to suffer a bump or jolt; to hurt or damage in this way. Frequently with on, against.

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1775 Morning Chron. 5 Aug. Fracturing his skull by bumping his head against a beam.

1830 Bower of Taste (Boston) 3 Apr. 204 I bumped my unprotected caput against the corner of a stone.

1893 M. H. Catherwood Old Kaskaskia iii. 123 The harp went up..tingling with little sighs as they bumped it on the steps.

1912 Southwestern Reporter 148 26/1 They had brought the car in attached to the engine and so bumped it against the other cars with the same force.

1965 M. Spark Mandelbaum Gate vi. 159 Freddy, half-way, came to a curve in the stairs and bumped the suitcase loudly into the wall.

2008 J. Stone Eagle 110 He..accidentally bumped his head on the canopy frame.

4. transitive. To seize (a person) by the arms and legs and strike his or her rump against a wall, post, etc., esp. as a punishment. In later use also occasionally: to hold (a person) horizontally by the arms and legs and lift him or her up and down repeatedly, often as a birthday custom; cf. to give a person the bumps at bump n.² 12. Now rare.

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?1700 J. Shirley Londons Glory vii. sig. C4 To order his four Men, each to take a Hand and a Leg..and carry him to a Post on the Key, and there by swinging him backward and forward to bump his Arse soundly against it.]

1751 Scribbler iii. 50 (stage direct.) Here they Bump him, and then dance round him in a Ring.

1819 J. Dugdale New Brit. Traveller I. 54/2 They bumped him, replaced him on his horse, bade him good speed, and proceeded to finish their task.

1868 Chambers's Jrnl. 18 Jan. 42/1 Coming upon a brother of the rod quietly trying his skill and patience on the banks of the Lea, they seized upon him, and bumped him most mercilessly.

1903 Sat. Rev. 17 Jan. 73/1 I hope you get well bumped at school.

1960 G. Mitchell Say it with Flowers iii. 46 Let's bump him for wasting our time!

a. intransitive. To move with a bump or succession of bumps; to go or travel in a jolting manner. Also with along. Also figurative.

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1788 G. Colman Ways & Means i. 18 All night, bumping down to Dover, on a ragged, raw-boned post-horse, with a brace of pistols at my knees.

1827 New Monthly Mag. 20 308 His legs..swung irregularly up and down as he bumped along.

1872 Southern Mag. (Baltimore) Oct. 493 The iron-laden barrows bumped over the deck with hideous regularity.

1921 Leslie's Illustr. Weekly 16 July 106/2 Fords bumped for miles over railroad ties covered with water.

1958 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. xvi. 193 The massive Mills Blue Rhythm Band, bumping along behind the solos of Red Allen on trumpet.

1977 Time 3 Jan. 50/1 We bumped along in darkness.

2003 J. Lethem Fortress of Solitude iii. vii. 397 They bumped past on a mower or snowplow.

b. transitive. To move (a person or thing) heavily in a specified direction with a bump or succession of bumps; to push or carry in a jolting manner. Also with along.

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1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. iv. 69 We bumped ashore a hundred kegs.

1886 F. H. Burnett Little Lord Fauntleroy iii. 32 Big trunks..were being bumped down and dragged about.

1907 B. E. Stevenson Young Train Dispatcher 266 He swung open the outside door, bumped the chair down the steps.

1937 W. Duke Stroke of Murder 67 Each held a corner of the sack and bumped it along the path, careless of the head striking the ground.

1978 M. Gordon Final Payments xii. 187 Patricia Kiley bumped her mother, strapped into a wheelchair, lovelessly across the floor.

2012 N.Y. Mag. (Nexis) 24 Sept. 1 A..couple..bumping suitcases down the subway stairs.

c. intransitive. Aeronautics. Of an aircraft: to make a sudden upward or downward movement as a result of passing through a region of turbulent air. Cf. bump n.² 9.

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society > travel > air or space travel > specific movements or positions of aircraft > fly [verb (intransitive)] > move irregularly due to unequal air pressure

bump1914

1914 H. Rosher Let. 11 Aug. in In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 15 While flying at 200 feet, the machine suddenly bumped [note, met an airwave]... These bumps are due to the sun's action on the air and are called ‘sun bumps’.

1933 Boys' Mag. 47 24/2 We shall probably bump a bit, owing to air-pockets.

2002 E. Weihenmayer Touch Top World xii. 171 It was an unstable feeling as the plane bumped and dropped sharply in sync with the air currents.

6. Rowing. In the context of a race in which boats start at fixed intervals (chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge Universities).

a. transitive. To touch or begin to overtake (the boat in front); to achieve a ‘bump’ (bump n.² 6a) against.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > race boats [verb (transitive)] > row a race > actions in rowing race

bump1826

wash1865

overbump1900

overrate1960

1826 Lit. Lounger May 222 Christ Church bumps her.

1850 C. Kingsley Alton Locke I. xiii. 195 Having, as he informed me, ‘bumped the first Trinity’.

1932 B. Johnston Let. 29 May in Lett. Home 1926–45 (1998) 96 I went to see New College ‘bumped’ one day, but otherwise there has been little else doing.

1995 S. E. Grace in M. Lowry Sursum Corda! I. 49 The object of the race is to move up a total of four places in the line by bumping the preceding boat on each of four successive days.

2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 17 May g1 If a boat overtakes another and either literally or technically ‘bumps’ it, the two boats pull off to the side.

b. intransitive. To touch or begin to overtake the boat in front; to achieve a ‘bump’ (bump n.² 6a).

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > take part in boat racing or race [verb (intransitive)] > actions in rowing race

paddle1697

to row over1830

bump1861

sugar1882

1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. xiv. 276 Colleges, whose boats have no chance of bumping.

1891 Atlantic Monthly June 790/2 It may bump..twice in the same day.

1920 ‘Two of 'em’ Guide Cambr. Univ. Life 10 If three or more boats bump simultaneously the rear boat goes to the front of those boats, and is said to have made an ‘over-bump’.

1939 Manch. Guardian 9 June 5/4 They..got near to Trinity Hall but not near enough to bump.

2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 17 May g1 The boat that bumped moves up to a higher starting position.

7. intransitive. Chemistry. Of a liquid that is being heated: to boil unevenly with the sudden expulsion of large bubbles of vapour which can force liquid from the container. Cf. bumping n.² 2b, and note there.

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the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > undergo chemical reactions or processes [verb (intransitive)] > undergo chemical reactions or processes (named) > undergo miscellaneous other processes

re-embody1654

depart1704

effervesce1747

bump1848

creep1888

olate1931

hybridize1962

1848 J. E. Bowman Introd. Pract. Chem. i. ii. 18 If, instead of boiling quietly and uniformly, the water in the retort ‘bumps’, owing to the sudden disengagement of large bubbles of steam, a few fragments of broken glass or platinum wire may be placed in the retort, to assist the formation of small bubbles from their surface.

1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 195/2 Methyl-alcohol has quite a characteristic tendency to ‘bump’ badly on distillation.

1950 P. J. Durrant Org. Chem. iii. 64 As the pressure of a boiling liquid is lowered, the tendency to ‘bump’ is greatly increased.

2008 New Scientist 14 June (inside back cover) My guess is that the wine in the frying pan bumped.

8. Cricket.

a. intransitive. Of a ball: to rise sharply after pitching. Also with up. Now rare.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (intransitive)] > motion of ball

to make haste?a1475

twist?1801

cut1816

shoot1816

curl1833

hang1838

work1838

break1847

spin1851

turn1851

bump1856

bite1867

pop1871

swerve1894

to kick up1895

nip1899

swing1900

google1907

move1938

seam1960

to play (hit, etc.) across the line1961

1856 Bell's Life in London 20 July 7/5 One little spot at the lower wicket..caused the ball occasionally to bump.

1871 Baily's Monthly Mag. June 172 There was an ugly place where the ball bumped near the north wicket.

1916 Bellman 17 June 698/2 The local butcher was batting, when a ball bumped up and hit him on the head.

1935 Manch. Guardian 22 July 3/4 Sutcliffe and Barber were beaten by successive deliveries; in both instances the ball ‘bumped’.

b. transitive. Of a bowler: to deliver (the ball) so that it rises sharply after pitching. Cf. bounce v. 6d.Increasingly uncommon from the late 20th cent.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (transitive)] > bowl in specific manner

twist1816

overthrow1833

to bowl over the wicket1851

overpitch1851

bump1869

york1882

to break a ball1884

flog1884

to bowl round (or formerly outside) the wicket1887

turn1898

flick1902

curl1904

spin1904

volley1909

flight1912

to give (a ball) air1920

tweak1935

move1938

overspin1940

swing1948

bounce1960

cut1960

seam1963

dolly1985

1869 Derby Mercury 1 Sept. 7/2 M'Intyre ‘bumped’ one which was caught by the wicket keeper off the handle of Billyeald's bat.

1888 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 18 June 6/5 The Yorkshire fast bowlers..bumped the ball considerably.

1933 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Feb. 10/1 Larwood bumped the last over the batsman's head.

1951 Manch. Guardian 3 Jan. 6/1 When Walker once bumped a ball wide of the off stump Hutton cut it down and late.

2015 J. Lazenby Strangers who came Home xii. 164 Regularly bumping the ball over the wicketkeeper's head.

9. transitive. Watchmaking. To adjust or manipulate a wheel so that it lies flat or attains a desired position (see quot. 1903). Now rare.

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1872 Eng. Mechanic & World of Sci. 26 July 489/3 I have found out, by experience, never to risk laying a Geneva escape-wheel entirely on a hollow punch to bump it.

1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 246 Stake. Useful for ‘bumping’ wheels, i.e., altering the plane of the teeth with relation to the hole.

1903 C. G. Warnford Lane Workshop Recipts IV. 327/2 Ordinary flat wheels are riveted as nearly true in flat as possible, and then, if necessary, ‘bumped’—that is, the wheel is set up between the ends of a pair of callipers, and by means of a little strip of brass—called a ‘toucher’—the crossings are found, which require bending to make the wheel run flat... The necessary crossings are gently tapped with the hammer until the wheel runs true.

1965 Bull. National Assoc. Watch & Clock Collectors 11 967/1 A solution..not good practice at all, is to bump the wheel to a dish-shape so that it touches the pinion in a new place.

10. colloquial.

a. transitive. U.S. To displace, dispose of; to dismiss.

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society > occupation and work > lack of work > [verb (transitive)] > dismiss or discharge

to put awaya1387

discharge1428

dismiss1477

to put out of wages1542

discard1589

to turn away1602

to put off1608

disemploy1619

to pay off1648

to pay off1651

to turn out1667

to turn off1676

quietus1688

strip1756

trundle1794

unshop1839

shopc1840

to lay off1841

sack1841

drop1845

to give (a person) the shoot1846

bag1848

swap1862

fire1879

to knock off1881

bounce1884

to give (a person) the pushc1886

to give (a person) the boot or the order of the boot1888

bump1899

spear1911

to strike (a medical practitioner, etc.) off the register1911

terminate1920

tramp1941

shitcan1961

pink slip1966

dehire1970

resize1975

to give a person his jotters1990

1899 W. J. Kountz Billy Baxter's Lett. 49 If some guy cuts in on your steady,..you are going to call her fine and plenty, aren't you? And unless she promises to bump the other fellow, you are going to leave her in a rage, aren't you?

1918 Dial. Notes 5 23 To bump, vb. t., to dismiss from service. General.

1980 Washington Star 20 Jan. g1 Has Iowa bumped New Hampshire as the first state to say which way the wind is blowing in the presidential election?

2007 W. Martindale in B. L. Edwards C. S. Lewis III. vi. 134 None of that reading has bumped The Great Divorce from first place in thinking about eternity.

b. transitive. U.S. To displace (a colleague) from a position by right of seniority, often as part of a series of such displacements. Used esp. of a union worker.

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society > occupation and work > position or job > [verb (transitive)] > take position of (another)

bump1908

1908 Railroad Telegrapher Aug. 1367/1 Operator L. F. Smith..worked a few days at Herington, but was bumped there by Operator Roberts.

1941 Boston Daily Globe 3 Jan. 20 Joe Begin is working on the section for the C.P.R. here, having bumped Romeo Lavallee. Romeo then bumped Henri Carrier.

2013 R. E. Weir Workers in Amer. I. 98 In an anticipated temporary layoff, a senior worker might ‘bump’ a less-senior one.

c. transitive. Originally U.S. To deprive (a passenger) of a reserved place on an airline flight, typically because of deliberate overbooking. Also in extended use. Frequently in passive.

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society > travel > air or space travel > transport by air > transport through the air [verb (transitive)] > deprive of reserved place on flight

bump1947

1947 Funk & Wagnalls New College Standard Dict. 157/1 Bump.., to deprive (a passenger) of airplane transportation in favor of a later but more important traveler.

1978 Observer 30 July 3/1 They were blandly told that their flight was full. In other words, they had been ‘bumped’.

1989 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 7 July Their residents would be bumped off the trains to make room for wealthy passengers.

2010 C. Winston Last Exit vii. 117 In 2009, 13 of every 10,000 passengers were bumped on domestic flights.

11. transitive. slang (originally U.S.). To kill; to murder; = to bump off at Phrasal verbs 1.

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the world > life > death > killing > man-killing or homicide > murder or assassination > murder or assassinate [verb (transitive)]

amurderOE

murderc1175

homicidec1470

murdresc1480

murtrish1490

manquell1548

slaughter1582

massacre1591

assassinate1600

remove1609

assassin1620

to do the business for a person1759

Septembrize1794

croak1823

square1888

shift1898

to take out1900

to bump off1907

bump1914

to do in1914

to put out1917

to knock off1919

terminate1920

to give (a person) the works1929

scrag1930

snuff1932

wash1941

waste1964

wipe1968

to terminate with extreme prejudice1969

neutralize1970

snuff1973

stiff1974

1914 L. E. Jackson & C. R. Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 21 He copped a cuter and got bumped making a get-away.

1927 C. F. Coe Me—Gangster iii. 52 Who bumped that poor chump that was drivin' the car?

1943 P. Cheyney You can always Duck xii. 186 You didn't want him..to know you had bumped Clemensky.

2000 L. Gough Funny Money ii. 11 If Carlos bumped him and scrammed with the cash, who'd watch his back when Marty came a-calling?

12. transitive. Military slang (originally Navy). Of a vessel: to explode (a mine or minefield). Also: to strike (a target) with one or more explosive projectiles; to bombard. Now rare.

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society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use of mines and explosives > use mines and explosives [verb (transitive)] > mine > explode a mine, etc.

spring1625

vent1687

fire1699

to let off1714

to set off1881

bump1915

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > operate (artillery) [verb (transitive)] > bombard

ding1548

to lay battery to1548

cannon1567

thunder1590

cannonade1637

bombard1686

bomb1694

shell1827

plonk1874

plaster1914

bump1915

labour1915

water1915

barragea1917

paste1942

stonk1944

1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Tall Ship ix. 160 We haven't bumped a mine-field.

1919 Athenæum 1 Aug. 695/2 An artilleryman speaks of having ‘bumped’ a certain town or spot, meaning shelled.

1944 J. Wright All Clear, Canada! 26 Later, I was sleeping in a cabin when we were bumped again.

1989 R. R. McCammon Wolf's Hour 525 I can't even swim. Which would be beside the point..if you bumped a mine.

13. intransitive. To dance the bump (bump n.² 10b) with someone.

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1975 S. Levay & ‘S. Prager’ Lady Bump (transcribed from song) in ‘P. McLean’ Lady Bump All I wanna do is to bump with you.

1977 Billboard 11 June 76 (song title) Ain't gonna bump no more (with no big fat woman).

1989 B. Blauner Black Lives, White Lives (1990) ix. 208 It did not matter what color you were, you bumped with whoever was beside you.

2011 S. P. Weaver Rebirth vi. 310 Deb and Leslie..started ‘bumping’ with each other. Frank..just started doin' the Bump with anything and everything within sight.

14. transitive. Computing. On a newsgroup or (now more usually) an internet forum: to move (a thread, esp. an inactive one) to the top of the list of active threads by posting on it.

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1999 Re: Adventures of Jurassic Joe in alt.toys.gi-joe (Usenet newsgroup) 3 Aug. The fact that I've posted this..should bump the thread back up towards the top of the list.

2008 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 22 Apr. a1 When no one responded, he bumped his thread back to the top of the board.

2010 Family Relations 59 19 A poster replied to a thread to bump it to the top of the list of active threads.

II. To bulge out.

15.

†a. intransitive. To bulge out; to be or become protuberant. Obsolete.

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the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > be or become protuberant [verb (intransitive)]

struta1300

bouge1398

embossc1430

bagc1440

bossc1449

bunch1495

bump1566

boin1567

protuberate1578

pagglea1592

bulch1611

extuberate1623

belly1627

heave1629

bulge1679

swell1679

bud1684

pod1806

bilge1849–52

sag1853

knucklec1862

poocha1903

1566 [implied in: T. Nuce tr. Octavia ii. i. sig. D.ij^v All the bumping bygnesse it doth beare. (at bumping adj. 1)].

1597 J. Gerard Herball iii. 1299 Long fruite..with kernels bumping out.

1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1021 Of the round line that part which is..without doth bumpe and bunch.

1640 J. D. Knave in Graine v. i. sig. M2 Hee is not troubled with the Mumps, and yet see how one side of his cheeks bumps out.

1730 Grub-St. Jrnl. 26 Mar. The gourd naturally swells and bumps out.

1856 J. W. King Characters & Incidents ix. 89 That organ [sc. the organ of Individuality] does not bump out forcefully between my eyes.

b. transitive. To make protuberant; to cause to swell up or be raised out. In later use (chiefly U.S., with out): spec. to add an extension to (a room or building) in such a way as to create a projection from a wall; cf. bump-out n. at bump n.² Compounds 2.

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the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > make protuberant [verb (transitive)]

bossc1380

embossc1475

bag1582

belly1609

womb?1623

bumpa1680

protuberate1778

bilge1808

hump1840

bulge1865

a1680 [implied in: J. Bargrave Pope Alexander VII (1867) ii. 120 Another triangular, unequilateral, bumped-up, large loadstone. (at a1680 at bumped adj. 1)].

1682 E. Hickeringill Mushroom 11 Her Helicon's not strong, but needs no pains To bump it up, no Heaveings, no hard straynes.

1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth I. 187 He bumpt up our Bellies.

1839 Fraser's Mag. June 717/1 From the hour of his birth till the day of his death, never does the organ of credulity cease to bump out his cerebrum.

1900 Daily Mail 31 Oct. The leaf bumper who bumps up the leaves commonly seen in metal work.

1969 N.Y. Times 7 Dec. r1/1 There is no reason to enlarge the whole house... All one has to do is ‘bump’ out the sides.

2009 S. Susanka & M. Vassallo Not so Big Remodeling viii. 116/2 Architect Gail Wong bumped out the entire back of the house by 30 in.

16. transitive. Printing. To spread out (the text of a book, article, etc.) by wide spacing, page layout, or similar means, so as to make it fill the desired number of pages. Chiefly with out. Also in extended use.

ΚΠ

1752 in B. Thornton Have at You All 26 Mar. 243 I will not take under fifteen pence a sheet for my new Novel, which you know may be bump'd into four Volumes.

1752 Monthly Rev. Dec. 412 Some late modern productions, which contain not more than half as much print as this,..have been bump'd out (as the printers phrase it) to near double the price.

1868 Athenæum 17 Oct. 499/3 It [sc. The Testament of Love] was never..imputed to Chaucer until it appeared near the end of Godfrey's impression in 1532, almost as if only to ‘bump out’ the volume.

1885 Bookseller 6 July 49/1 The text had been so ingeniously bumped out by the publishers that it filled twice the number of pages it should have done.

1931 Bookman Nov. 137/1 A short story bumped out with whimsical wise cracks.

1989 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. 12/3 Films that..have been bumped out on video by the use of formerly discarded scenes.

2000 Bks. Ireland Feb. 40/1 To bump the book out..each double spread of poem and picture is preceded by a blank page and a half-title.

Phrases

P1. transitive. Sport (originally and chiefly Horse Racing). to bump and bore: to run into or knock off course, and then push or thrust past (a competitor); (intransitive) to proceed in such a manner. Also in extended use.Cf. bore v.¹ 5.

ΚΠ

1873 Bell's Life in London 17 May 7/1 By bumping and boring Thunder..the ungenerous Tangible had his head in front until two strides from home.

1902 Country Life 26 Apr. 541/2 Vittel,..steered by little Griggs, won cleverly, after being bumped and bored all over the course by Russet.

1932 N. Mitford Christmas Pudding xvi. 232 If it's win only I might feel obliged to bump and bore a bit, otherwise I should probably sit tight and get a comfortable third.

1986 Times (Nexis) 27 Oct. One of the linesmen happened to be caught by the studs of Elliott, who was being bumped and bored as usual by the ebullient Fashanu.

2007 R. W. Hogarth Journey beyond Midnight 299 He turned and walked quickly away, bumping and boring into shoppers as he put distance between them.

P2. Originally and chiefly Business and Finance. to bump along the bottom: to remain at a low point in performance or ranking, without improving or deteriorating further. Usually in to be bumping along the bottom.

ΚΠ

1908 Mainly about People 18 Jan. 70/1 While it is very likely that the American market is now ‘bumping along the bottom’, it is not in a position..to steam away full speed ahead.

1950 E. Devons Planning in Pract. iii. 56 Because of changes that needed to be made.., [aircraft] production would merely bump along the bottom for some months.

1992 New Builder 13 Feb. 14/3 A clutch of statistics which point to an industry bumping along the bottom.

2014 Irish Mirror (Nexis) 7 Nov. It becomes harder to get angry and militant when a club you like is bumping along the bottom.

P3. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.).

a. to bump pussies: (of two women) to engage in sexual activity, esp. tribadism, together. See pussy n. 3.

ΚΠ

1963 J. Rechy City of Night iv. 310 The lay-ast thing in the world a queen wants is to make it with what turns out to be huh sistuh... It's..lak bumpin pussies.

1968 ‘A. D'Arcangelo’ Homosexual Handbk. 208 Two girls can..‘bump pussies’ as we used to say when I was a lad, and enjoy all the thrills and chills of intercourse.

1994 E. L. Harris Just as I Am (1995) 258 ‘I think they're bumping pussies,’ Kyle said. ‘You mean they're dykes?’ Kyle nodded his head.

2002 L. D. Brown Fire & Brimstone (2004) vi. 67 How they met and how many times they had bumped pussies.

b. to bump uglies (also nasties): to have sexual intercourse (with a person).

ΚΠ

1985 Newsweek 7 Oct. 88/1 If I just want to bump uglies with somebody, I got plenty of places to go.

1996 W. Gibson Idoru iii. 28 Somebody's still gotta get down in the trenches and bump uglies, right?

1999 Y. M. Murray What it takes to get to Vegas iii. 48 She had my blessing to go and bump nasties with Pedro anytime she liked.

2014 Sun (Nexis) 13 Mar. 18 [She] jotted down every star she had bumped uglies with—and it's quite the line-up.

Phrasal verbs

PV1. With adverbs in specialized senses. to bump off

slang (originally U.S.).

transitive. To kill; to murder.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > man-killing or homicide > murder or assassination > murder or assassinate [verb (transitive)]

amurderOE

murderc1175

homicidec1470

murdresc1480

murtrish1490

manquell1548

slaughter1582

massacre1591

assassinate1600

remove1609

assassin1620

to do the business for a person1759

Septembrize1794

croak1823

square1888

shift1898

to take out1900

to bump off1907

bump1914

to do in1914

to put out1917

to knock off1919

terminate1920

to give (a person) the works1929

scrag1930

snuff1932

wash1941

waste1964

wipe1968

to terminate with extreme prejudice1969

neutralize1970

snuff1973

stiff1974

1907 New Castle (Pa.) News 12 June 12/3 If he..were ‘bumped off’ a thousand more just as good could take his place.

1932 E. Waugh Black Mischief vii. 266 They had two shots at bumping me off yesterday.

1958 H. M. Hayward & M. Harari tr. B. Pasternak Dr. Zhivago i. vii. 212 A few were bumped off by way of example.

2013 A. Casale Bone Dragon (2014) 170 I wouldn't bother to bury Sonny Rawlins if I bumped him off.

to bump up

colloquial (originally U.S.).

1. transitive. To make larger, greater, or more numerous; to increase, to raise.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > increase rapidly or sharply

balloon1901

to bump up1901

skyrocket1976

inflate1984

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [verb (transitive)] > increase (prices) > suddenly

to bump up1901

1901 Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Bee 20 Dec. 10/7 (advt.) Just long enough for the trust outfit to get together and bump up the prices.

1940 N. Mitford Pigeon Pie xii. 192 Olga bumps up his allowance every time he horsewhips anybody for making a pass at her.

1983 P. Dallas Ital. Wines (new ed.) iii. 70 When deciding whether a wine has the qualities to justify its being aged..it is not just a question of blithely bumping up the sugar and leaving it at that.

2015 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. A cash-and-stock deal..whose price was bumped up by $4 per share in cash on Monday.

2. transitive (often in passive). To move (a person) to a higher level or status; to promote from one group or position to another.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > career > have career [verb (transitive)] > promote or upgrade

advancec1300

promote1402

to kick (someone) upstairs1678

upgrade1920

to bump up1957

1957 Assembly (Assoc. of Graduates, U.S. Milit. Acad.) Jan. 35/3 Since the last issue of the Assembly, two '38ers were promoted to BG and two were bumped up to MG.

1972 M. Kaye Lively Game of Death v. 23 We had our eye on him for a long time, just waiting for a chance to bump him up to executive level.

1999 M. A. Hennessy How to go almost Anywhere for almost Nothing i. i. 4 Much to my delight, I was ‘bumped up’ to business class on one crowded flight.

2011 C. Taylor Londoners 346 You've got the whole hierarchy [of barristers], Silks at the top..and..if you get Silk early, you get bumped up to the QCs.

PV2. With prepositions in specialized senses. to bump into ——

colloquial.

intransitive. To encounter, meet by chance, come across. Cf. to run into —— 9b at run v. Phrasal verbs 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > meeting or encounter > meet or encounter [verb (transitive)] > coming from another direction (of person)

meeteOE

to come (also go, run, etc.) to meeta1325

nose1816

to bump into ——1894

1894 National Observer 19 May 15/2 Curious, ain't it,..how some men keep bumping into you as you are making tracks through life.

1948 Sunday Pict. 18 July 6/4 It was a delight to bump into him on one of the streets of Paramount Studios.

1958 E. Dundy Dud Avocado i. v. 82 What a mad coincidence bumping into John.

2010 New Yorker 20 Sept. 85/1 If you walk around with him on the Upper East Side, chances are he'll bump into wealthy friends.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

bumpv.²

Brit.

/bʌmp/, U.S.

/bəmp/

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bump n.¹

Etymology: < bump n.¹ Compare bumping n.¹ and also boom v.¹

Now rare.

intransitive. Of a bittern: to make its characteristic booming sound; to boom (see boom v.¹ 1a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Ciconiiformes (storks, etc.) > [verb (intransitive)] > make sound (of bittern)

bumblec1405

bump1646

1646 [implied in: Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. xxv. 173 A Bittor maketh that mugient noyse, or as we terme it Bumping.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. xiii. 310/2 The Bitter or Bitterne, Bumpeth, when he puts his..Bill in the Reeds.

1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Wife of Bathe's Tale in Fables 486 As a Bittour bumps within a Reed.

1793 J. Leslie tr. Comte de Buffon Nat. Hist. Birds VII. 396 The Bittern is in season during the whole time that he bumps.

1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. x. 251 You shall hear the bittern bump.

1989 S. Lea Place in Mind v. 62 Bitterns bumped in the ditches.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

bumpadv.int.²

Brit.

/bʌmp/, U.S.

/bəmp/

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bump v.¹

Etymology: < bump v.¹

With a bump; with a sudden collision. Also reduplicated and as int., indicating repeated impacts or a jolting manner of movement.things that go bump in the night: see thing n.¹ Phrases 18.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > [adverb] > with sudden impact

swingc1400

dab1600

bump1724

spank1810

whop1812

the world > movement > impact > [adverb] > with repeated impact

bump1863

1724 D. Defoe Tour Great Brit. I. iii. 119 They are sure, as the Sailors call it, to run Bump a Shore upon Scilly.

1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 12 Blood! didn't I tell you we were running bump ashore, and bid you set in the lee-brace, and haul upon a wind?

1806 R. Bloomfield Wild Flowers 41 Bump in his hat the shillings tumbl'd.

1863 C. Kingsley Water-babies i. 46 As he came bump, stump, jump, down the steep.

1926 A. A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh i. 1 Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head.

1978 P. Pears Diaries 22 Aug. (1999) 202 He was amiable & drove as all N. Yorkers do, bump bump over the appalling surface.

2003 N.Y. Post (Nexis) 16 Oct. 6 Many ferries have gone bump in the bay in the past.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

n.¹int.¹a1529

n.²1533

n.³1794

v.¹1558

v.²1646

adv.int.²1724

单词	bump
释义	† bumpn.¹int.¹ Forms: 1500s–1600s bumpe, 1800s bump. Origin: An imitative or expressive formation. Etymology: Imitative of the call of the bittern. Compare boom n.¹, earlier bum v.², and later bump v.² Obsolete. The booming call of the bittern. Also as int. Cf. boom n.¹, butterbump n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Ciconiiformes (storks, etc.) > [noun] > family Ardeidae (herons and bitterns) > member of genus Botaurus (bittern) > cry of bumpa1529 bill1793 a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. B.iii The Better with his bumpe The Crane with his trumpe. 1631 W. Lisle Faire Æthiopian i. 8 Bittour sounding Bumpe. 1834 T. Nuttall Man. Ornithol. U.S. & Canada: Water Birds 61 The búmp..of the true Bittern. 1861 H. W. Wheelwright Bush Wanderings of Naturalist 87 The heavy bump of the bittern from the reeds close to me. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2020). bumpn.² Brit. /bʌmp/, U.S. /bəmp/ Forms: α. 1500s bompes (plural), 1500s–1600s bumpe, 1500s– bump. β. Scottish 1900s– bumph. Origin: Probably an imitative or expressive formation. Etymology: Probably of imitative origin. With sense I. compare other words of similar sound denoting a rounded protuberance or swelling as e.g. bum n.¹, bumb n., bub n.², lump n.¹, etc. With sense II. compare words of similar sound denoting a blow or the act of striking, as e.g. bum v.³, thump n. Compare later bump v.¹The logical causal connection between the two main senses ‘blow, impact’ (branch II.) and ‘swelling (as caused by a blow)’ (branch I.) is not supported by the chronology of the evidence, although it is unclear whether this is etymologically significant. Compare bump v.¹, in which the order of attestation of the corresponding senses is reversed. With the β. forms compare e.g. trumph n. and humph , Scots form of hump n., hump v. I. A swelling or protuberance. 1. a. A swelling or protuberance on the body of a person, animal, etc., esp. one caused by injury or (in early use) illness.goose bumps: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > swelling > [noun] > a swelling or protuberance ampereOE kernelc1000 wenc1000 knot?c1225 swella1250 bulchc1300 bunchc1325 bolninga1340 botcha1387 bouge1398 nodusa1400 oedemaa1400 wax-kernel14.. knobc1405 nodule?a1425 more?c1425 bunnyc1440 papa1450 knurc1460 waxing kernel?c1460 lump?a1500 waxen-kernel1500 bump1533 puff1538 tumour?1541 swelling1542 elevation1543 enlarging1562 knub1563 pimple1582 ganglion1583 button1584 phyma1585 emphysema?1587 flesh-pimple1587 oedem?a1591 burgeon1597 wartle1598 hurtle1599 pough1601 wart1603 extumescence1611 hulch1611 peppernel1613 affusion1615 extumescency1684 jog1715 knibloch1780 tumefaction1802 hunch1803 income1808 intumescence1822 gibber1853 tumescence1859 whetstone1886 tumidity1897 Osler's node1920 the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part > a hump or lump bulchc1300 lump?a1500 hillock?1527 bump1533 hulch1611 hump1709 hunch1803 mump1847 nib1847 wodge1847 hummock1864 1533 T. Paynell tr. U. von Hutten De Morbo Gallico xxiv. f. 62^v Guaiacum doth resolue and destroy meruaylously swellynges, getherynges to gether of yll matters, hardnesses, bumpis [L. sinus], and knobbes. 1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet i. iii. 55 It had vpon it brow, a bump as big as a young Cockrels stone; a perillous knock. View more context for this quotation 1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iii. ii. 71 The bumps in his flesh, which was like a bruised Pig. 1693 J. Dryden tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires xvi. 311 Not tho..in Bumps his Fore-head rise. 1714 D. Turner De Morbis Cutaneis i. ii. 42 A certain Itch..raising little Bumps under the Skin. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia II. iii. i. 14 My head all bumps, my cheek all cut, my nose big as two! 1844 J. Cowell Thirty Years among Players iv. 13/1 Young master wi' a big bump on his head instead o' his hat. 1883 H. Pyle Merry Adventures Robin Hood iii. iii. 111 Robin and those spoken of..had many a sore bump and bruise here and there on their bodies. 1922 Times 11 Dec. 19/2 A large bump on the right side of her head. 1980 Washington Post 1 Jan. d3/1 I will wait..until the bumps and bruises heal and then I will think about it. 2005 Associated Press State & Local Wire (Nexis) 3 Nov. Dickson..had a bump on his head and some soreness in his neck. b. In phrenology: a prominence on the skull held to indicate a particular mental faculty or tendency. Hence: such a faculty or tendency. Now historical. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > [noun] > bump on bump1815 poll-hill1827 1815 Edinb. Rev. 25 251 The aforesaid bumps on the head are..signs of peculiar energy, in some of the special faculties. 1840 L. Cass France 53 He has fallen upon some shrewd countryman, disposed to test his bump of belief. 1863 C. Kingsley Water-babies iv. 165 She felt his bumps, and cast his nativity. 1929 J. Galsworthy Silent Wooing i, in Mod. Comedy 261 I reckon you haven't much bump of locality. 1976 S. Beckett For to end yet again & other Fizzles 14 Atop the cyclopean dome rising sheer from jut of brow yearns white to the grey sky the bump of habitativity or love of home. 2011 Star Beacon (Ashtabula, Ohio) (Nexis) 2 Oct. Fowler's other interest was phrenology... He identified the location of ‘bumps of knowledge’. c. colloquial (originally British). The rounded abdomen of a visibly pregnant woman; (hence) an unborn child.baby bump: see baby n. and adj. Compounds 1g. ΚΠ 1967 P. M. Fleury Maternity Care iii. 114 The surgeon..would come to view me clad in sheet up to my bump. 1986 Times 14 Jan. 12/7 The old idea was to hide ‘the bump’ under voluminous maternity dresses. 2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 13 Mar. ix. 1/3 Brides are not only not hiding their pregnancies, but they are showing them off,..wearing gowns that flatter their bump. 2. a. A protuberance on a surface, object, etc., esp. one that is otherwise more or less smooth or level.rare before 19th cent. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part busta1250 bouging1398 gibbosityc1400 embossingc1430 breasta1450 belly1591 tumour1601 extuberance1607 belly-piece1609 embossment1610 outswelling1611 extuberation1615 protuberation1615 swelling1615 extuberancy1634 popple1635 protuberance1635 emboss1644 extancy1644 bump1653 protuberancy1653 protuberating1667 swell1683 bulge1741 boss1791 bulging1828 protuberosity1860 tuber1888 1653 E. Elton Great Myst. Godlinesse Opened 132 Like a bump in a wall,..that upon a sodain falleth down to the ground. 1682 W. Hickes Grammatical Drollery 44 I did find a rising bump O'th' top [of the saddle]. ?1793 J. Caulfield Blackguardiana at Bumper A full glass, in all likelihood from its convexity or bump at the top. 1825 J. Banim & M. Banim Tales by O'Hara Family 1st Ser. II. 126 I sat upon a small knoll, surrounded by curves and bumps. 1844 Dublin Univ. Mag. July 63/1 Each separate square [of glass]..was furnished with a thick green knot or bump in the centre. 1939 Fortune Oct. (verso front cover/2) (advt.) Head for the road that's full of bumps. 1965 Look 24 Aug. 2/1 (advt.) When one wheel goes klunk, on a bump, the other wheels do nothing at all. 2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 18 Oct. (Sports section) 11/2 A ‘point cloud’ picture that mimics..the track surface, including every crack, patch and bump. b. figurative and in figurative contexts (originally U.S.). A problem or complication; a setback, an obstacle. Often (and earliest) in a bump in the road; also in to hit a bump. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > [noun] > one who or that which hinders > a hindrance, impediment, or obstacle hinderc1200 withsetting1340 obstaclec1385 traversea1393 mara1400 bayc1440 stoppagec1450 barrace1480 blocka1500 objecta1500 clog1526 stumbling-stone1526 bar1530 (to cast) a trump in (one's) way1548 stumbling-stock1548 hindrance1576 a log in one's way1579 crossbar1582 log1589 rub1589 threshold1600 scotch1601 dam1602 remora1604 obex1611 obstructiona1616 stumbling-blocka1616 fence1639 affront1642 retardance1645 stick1645 balk1660 obstruent1669 blockade1683 sprun1684 spoke1689 cross cause1696 uncomplaisance1707 barrier1712 obstruct1747 dike1770 abatis1808 underbrush1888 bunker1900 bump1909 sprag1914 hurdle1924 headwind1927 mudhole1933 monkey wrench1937 roadblock1945 1909 Des Moines (Iowa) News 22 Dec. 7/7 The Baltimore Federals' demand for a place in the international league was the bump in the road of amity which for a time defied steam rolling. 1956 Sat. Rev. 21 Jan. 23/3 If we don't hit a bump created by some sagging in business we are bound to hit a bump..as business is levelled out. 1971 Washington Post 1 July c4/3 The unanimous action..removed at least one bump on the rocky road toward construction of the sculpture garden. 2003 J. R. Lennon Mailman ii. viii. 422 They've been through so much, and this couldn't be more than a little bump in the road for them. 2016 Technol. Wire 27 Jan. Sales of Apple's iPhone hit a bump. 3. The corner at the top of the heel plate of a gunstock. Also as a mass noun: the extent to which this protrudes. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > stock or shaft > parts of shaft1626 side plate1680 pistol hand1702 club1720 heel plate1753 break-off1804 shoulder-butt1810 pistol-butt1814 rifle butt1826 pistol grip1841 nose cap1844 trap1844 trap-plate1844 receiver1851 bump1852 furniture1852 bend1859 comb1867 fore-end1881 furniture-pin1881 grip1881 1852 P. Hawker in Spirit of Times 1 May 123/2 The stocks of the new arms should be..made with much less bump on the top of the heel-plate. 1885 Country Gentleman 12 Dec. 1583/1 The position..of the bump..must depend on the length of the neck of the shooter. 1910 Forest & Stream 26 Nov. 869/3 In this stock there is more than the usual bend at the bump or heel. 1952 Times 29 Nov. 2/4 For sale, double-barrel hammerless ejector Purdys in leather double motor case; condition very good..; horn heel-plate, cast off 3/8in. at bump. 2006 M. Yardley Gunfitting (ed. 2) iv. 47 Some guns do not have much, if any, bump. 4. Skiing and Snowboarding (chiefly North American). A mogul (mogul n.²). Frequently attributive.See also bump run n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > skiing > [noun] > ski slope or run > specific part fall line1938 run-out1943 bump1953 mogul1953 1953 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 3 Mar. 8/5 We..watched a few of our advanced skiers turning and jumping over the moguls (bumps or ‘knobs’, as an English girl in our class named them). 1972 Ski Mar. 75/2 (heading) Strategy for skiing bumps. 1996 Sunday Tel. 13 Oct. (Review section) 24/4 Boarders may skirt mogul runs, but this does not put them off St Anton, bump-skiing capital of the Alps. 2010 New Yorker 15 Mar. 59/3 As the extreme-ski ambassador Glen Plake once said, ‘If you can't ski bumps, you can't ski shit.’ II. An impact, and related senses. 5. a. A light blow; a jolting collision or impact; (also) a minor injury. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > [noun] > striking heavily > a heavy blow > and dull thump1552 bump1582 dousea1600 dousta1627 dub1837 duff1866 1582 G. Gifford Dialogue Papist & Protestant f. 50^v A very course armour wil defende a man from it [sc. a bolt from a crossbow]: it giueth but a bumpe, and neuer doth pearce, but rebounde backe againe. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Adot, a blow, bumpe, or thumpe. 1677 Duke of Newcastle & T. Shadwell Triumphant Widow ii. 17 He turn'd suddenly, and hit his Nose such a bump, ha, ha, ha, I had almost died with laughing. a1745 J. Swift Wks. (1767) XVI. App. 14 Friend Rundall fell with grievous bump, Upon his reverential rump. a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. i. 395 An unlucky bump upon the head [might have] rendered him stupid. 1839 Fraser's Mag. Mar. 364/1 Crash went the beauliah, with a heavy bump, upon a hidden shoal. 1892 London Society July 71 Two or three violent bumps which throw them from their seats. 1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. v. 181 He hesitated for a moment, as if uncertain whether to fall or remain standing; then did the former with a most emphatic bump. 1979 J. Harvey Plate Shop vi. 33 With one motion and no bump they received the apprentice in their arms and rested him on the stretcher. 2000 P. H. Wender ADHD ii. 27 The frequent bumps, falls, and scrapes that are the lot of younger children. b. A dull thudding sound, as of one object colliding with another. Cf. bump adv. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > [noun] > forcible, heavy, or violent > collision hurtlinga1250 rackc1300 rasha1450 collision?a1475 fraying1489 running1538 conflict1555 jostling1580 intershock1611 jostle1611 allision1615 complosion1644 intershocking1652 rencounter1662 interfering1677 shocking1702 bump1843 cannoning1864 confliction1868 boink1963 1843 H. F. Gould Golden Vase 166 He wheeled on his flapping wings, till, ‘bump!’ His head went, hard on a farm-yard pump. 1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 10 When the pump descends, there is heard a plunge, a heavy sigh, and a loud bump. 1920 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-News 30 Oct. 12/2 The two Anderson autos came together with a resounding bump. 1982 Associated Press Newswire (Nexis) 30 Aug. Wilhelm was getting dressed in a room next to the kitchen when he heard a soft bump. 2015 Gloucestershire Echo (Nexis) 24 July 22 Tricia Sykes..heard a loud bump and thought her son had just fallen out of bed. c. slang (originally and chiefly R.A.F.). In plural. In collocation with circuits: an act or the action of landing an aeroplane, carried out repeatedly as part of pilot training. Also more generally: an uneven landing. ΘΚΠ society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > landing > bouncing or uneven porpoising1911 ballooning1922 porpoise1931 bump1941 1941 War Illustr. 24 Jan. 76/3 ‘What did you do in the war, daddy? How did you help us to win?’ ‘Circuits and bumps and turns, laddie, And how to get out of a spin!’ 1943 J. L. Hunt & A. G. Pringle Service Slang 19 Bumps, the touching down of the aircraft during landing due to uneven ground or bad handling. 1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose v. 207 Rather than keep him at the dreary round of circuits and bumps I had been teaching him aerobatics. 1977 G. Woods Bloody Harvest 8 I dozed, drifting in and out while the flies moved around like squadrons of Spitfires, using me as a landing strip for their circuits and bumps. 2016 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 1 Feb. 20 At the time of the accident, the pilot was doing circuits and bumps, practising landings and take-offs on one engine. 6. Rowing. a. In the context of a race in which boats start at fixed intervals (chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge Universities): an act of touching, or beginning to overtake, the boat immediately ahead, thereby defeating it.A ‘bump’ entitles the victorious boat to start the next race ahead of the defeated boat. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race > actions paddle1754 bump1838 shot1868 stride1883 overbump1895 1838 Bell's Life in London 24 June All the boats seems to have found their level on Saturday night, no bump taking place on that occasion. 1884 Sat. Rev. 12 July 47/1 An unexpected bump in May. 1933 V. Brittain Test. of Youth x. 512 I watched the upward progress of New College from bump to bump in the sociable atmosphere of the college barges. 1983 A. J. P. Taylor Personal Hist. v. 69 I rose to stroking a boat in the spring races and made four bumps. 2012 Oxf. Mail (Nexis) 27 Apr. The City third men's crew achieved a ‘bump’ in all four of their second division races and were awarded their blades. b. Cambridge University and Oxford University colloquial. In plural. Races in which boats start at fixed intervals, the starting places being determined by ‘bumps’ (sense 6a) achieved in the previous race. Cf. bumps race n. at Compounds 1, bump race n. at Compounds 1, bumping race n. at bumping n.² Compounds 2.At the University of Cambridge there are two series of such races, ‘Lent bumps’ (in Lent term) and ‘May bumps’ (in Easter term). The Oxford equivalents are ‘Torpids’ (see torpid n. 1) and ‘Summer Eights’, held in Hilary and Trinity terms respectively, ‘bumps’ being an unofficial designation for either of these. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race torpid1838 bumping race1842 row-over1866 sculls1878 May1879 Lents1886 fours1891 getting-on race1892 row-off1893 re-row1901 tub-race1903 bumper1906 bump1923 bumps race1927 head race1953 1923 Manch. Guardian 13 Feb. 13/5 (heading) Rowing at Cambridge. Prospects for the Lent ‘bumps’. 1973 Princeton Alumni Weekly 27 Nov. 34/1 Tom was doing graduate work..in between rowing for Churchill College in the May Bumps. 2015 Oxford Mail (Nexis) 15 May Magdalen College women's first eight will start fourth on the river in the University bumps in two weeks. 7. Mining. A sudden shift or slippage of the strata in a mine, often caused by the collapse of a supporting pillar; a mining incident or accident caused by this. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > tectonization or diastrophism > [noun] > subsidence bump1860 roll1883 overdeepening1901 cauldron subsidence1909 load-casting1953 1860 Coal Mines: Rep. Inspectors 1859 33 in Parl. Papers XXIII. 1 He goes on working, it may be for years, thinking sprags and props an unnecessary precaution, until an unseen crack, a slippery parting, or a bump of the strata, causes a sudden fall, and he has either a narrow escape or is hurt or killed. 1893 Trans. Federated Instit. Mining Engineers 5 381 A bump (or earth explosion) occurred on November 5th, 1892. 1907 Mines & Quarries: Rep. Inspector Mines for Stafford District 1906 43 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 3449-VIII) XIII. 471 Have you formed any opinion as to the cause of ‘bumps’ in the Thick Coal, and have you any suggestion to make as to prevention? 1960 Times 31 May (S. Afr. Suppl.) p. xviii/1 That was a ‘bump’, a subterranean movement caused mainly by the settling of strata disturbed by mining activity. 2013 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 23 Oct. a2 The last [mining disaster] is known as the ‘Springhill bump,’ a rather benign description for an event that killed 74 miners. 8. Cricket. A sharp rise in the trajectory of a ball after pitching. Also: the capacity to bowl deliveries which rise sharply after pitching. Cf. bump v.¹ 8a. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > [noun] > a ball bowled > motion of ball > specific curl1833 screw1840 devil1845 rise1845 work1846 break1851 spin1851 hang1866 bump1867 fire1888 leg-spin1888 air break1900 turn1900 underspin1901 off-spin1904 finger spin1905 swing1906 back-spin1916 outswing1921 inswing1927 away swing1936 wrist-spin1960 1867 G. H. Selkirk Guide to Cricket Ground v. 82 The only thing requisite being for the ball to be narrowly watched, so that an unexpected ‘bump’ or twist may not take it over the head or out of reach. 1901 R. H. Lyttelton Out-door Games i. 31 A man who plays fairly straight,..and can meet the ball with the bat when it comes on straight with no hang or bump. 1926 Times of India 21 Sept. 11/2 Ramji depends on his bump and a batsman's lack of caution. 1932 Manch. Guardian 1 Dec. 9/7 The Sydney wicket..will be prepared with an eye on taking the ‘bump’ and ‘kick’ out of Larwood and Voce. 9. Aeronautics. A localized region of turbulent air that causes an aircraft to make a sudden upward or downward movement; a movement of this type. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > gas > air > [noun] > air above our heads > deep hollow in gulf1712 bump1909 air pocket1910 hole in the air1911 pocket1911 1909 Trans. Amer. Soc. Mech. Engineers 30 717 At an elevation of 1000 ft. the wind is practically steady. Here the aëronaut would neither be in reach of the billows nor run into the ruts and hills and bumps of the invisible air. 1918 E. M. Roberts Flying Fighter 279 When correcting bumps or small erratic air currents one has often to resort to his inclinometer. 1971 Flying Dec. 84/3 During that descent, you might run into some bumps, and you sure don't want to hit them with the airspeed up in the yellow arc. 2014 Reporter (Logan, Queensland) (Nexis) 13 June 35 We make it into the air, but it isn't long before we get the all-too-familiar bumps and shudders of a plane hitting turbulence. 10. a. colloquial (originally U.S.). The act of suddenly thrusting forward the abdomen or hips, usually in a repeated sequence, as part of a sexually provocative or erotic dance. Usually collocated with grind. Cf. bump and grind adj. and n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [noun] > movement > specific movements gambol1509 gamond?a1513 frisco?1520 brawl1521 frisk1525 friscal1570 goat's jump1589 caper1592 capriole1596 capering1598 amble1607 friscado1634 rising1694 sink1706 moulinet1785 ballon1828 toeing1871 bump1931 heel turn1933 partnering1939 grind1946 shake1946 thigh lift1949 cambré1952 1931 B. Sobel Burleycue 127 The girls who did the ‘grinds’ and ‘bumps’. 1967 Boston Globe 5 Apr. 59/3 A largely nude shimmy dancer put in all the bumps and grinds with a gyrating G.I. 2004 Time Out N.Y. 10 June 71/2 The Red Hots gals take over this erstwhile dive bar for an evening of bumps, grinds and comedic stylings. b. With the. A disco dance, popular esp. in the 1970s, in which participants jerk their hips and buttocks to collide with another dancer in time to the beat.Compare the earlier and more sexually provocative bump and grind n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > jerky dances > [noun] pogoing1921 truck1935 trucking1935 jerk1964 bump1967 1967 R. Ottley & W. J. Weatherby Negro in New York xvi. 247 Out of these movements grew such dances as ‘The Bump’ and the ‘Mess Around’. 1979 ‘Sugarhill Gang’ Rapper's Delight (long version) (transcribed from song) And when you come inside, into the front You..do the bump. 2004 S. Olson Children of God go Bowling xv. 134 Lucy..grabbed Adam by the hand, dragging him off to the dance floor. They were doing the bump, and I wandered off. 11. colloquial. a. An increase, an upturn, esp. in value, ratings, etc. ΚΠ 1946 Observer 3 Nov. 6/5 The last-chance-technique..produces a bump in the small savings figures which may reflect the investment of idle cash. 1979 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 1 Aug. For the first seven months, the VSE's value increased 47 per cent on a 7 per cent bump in number of shares traded. 1992 N.Y. Times 18 Oct. i. 24/5 The independent candidate..enjoyed a bump in public esteem after his performance in the debates this week. 2016 Coventry Evening Tel. (Nexis) 18 Jan. 42 There was also a bump for Ben Stokes, whose fine series with bat and ball has taken him to number six in the all-rounders ranking. b. Originally U.S. A promotion at work; a pay rise. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > career > [noun] > promotion or upgrading advancementc1325 promotion?a1425 promoving1496 motion1641 lift1711 upgrading1920 bump1949 society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > wage structures and scales > [noun] > wage rise rise1836 raise1898 pay rise1936 pay raise1938 bump1949 1949 New Yorker 5 Nov. 77/1 Leave him do a couple pitchas and I guarantee you I'll get him a bump. 1957 A. Myrer Big War i. x. 129 You got a bump to sergeant last night. 1989 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 28 June ii. 16 The bumps in earnings come when we sell an Aromic unit. 2014 M. Schwartz Class Div. on Broadway Stage v. 76 The miners won a wage bump of a dollar a day. 12. Originally and chiefly British. In plural, usually with the. A custom in which a person is held horizontally by the arms and legs and lifted up and down, sometimes being bumped on the floor each time. Frequently in to give a person the bumps.Often carried out on a person celebrating a birthday, with one lift or bump on the floor given for each year of age. ΚΠ 1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren x. 199 Bumps. The 10-year-old Birmingham girl..says of ‘Bumps’: ‘This is..for someone who is unpopular. Two pretty hefty people get hold of the person's legs and arms and bump them on the ground.’ 1982 S. Townsend Secret Diary Adrian Mole 186 Boz, Baz, Daz, Maz, Kev and Melv came back from the canal and gave me the bumps. 2008 Independent 11 Mar. 14/6 Prescott's memoirs..will be published 29 May, two days before his 70th birthday. Best of British to comrades giving the bumps. 13. slang. A small dose of a recreational drug, typically one which is inhaled as a powder. Cf. hit n. 1b. ΚΠ 1985 D. Bodey F.N.G. 172 How about a quick bump off that bowl? 2005 Guardian (Nexis) 10 Oct. (G2 section) 36 I took some bumps of coke. Phrases P1. North American colloquial. a. like a bump on a log: in a state of silence, immobility, passivity, or insignificance. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [adjective] sloweOE stuntc960 dullOE hardOE stuntlyc1000 sotc1050 dillc1175 dulta1225 simplea1325 heavy1340 astonedc1374 sheepishc1380 dull-witteda1387 lourd1390 steerishc1411 ass-likea1425 brainless?a1439 deafc1440 sluggishc1450 short-witted1477 obtuse1509 peakish1519 wearish1519 deaf, or dumb as a beetle1520 doileda1522 gross1526 headlessa1530 stulty1532 ass-headed1533 pot-headed1533 stupid?1541 sheep's head1542 doltish1543 dumpish1545 assish1548 blockish1548 slow-witted1548 blockheaded1549 surd1551 dull-headed1552 hammer-headed1552 skit-brained?1553 buzzardly1561 witless1562 log-headeda1566 assy1566 sottish1566 dastardly1567 stupidious1567 beetle-headed1570 calvish1570 bluntish1578 cod's-headed1578 grout-headed1578 bedaft1579 dull-pated1580 blate1581 buzzard-like1581 long-eared1582 dullard1583 woodena1586 duncical1588 leaden-headed1589 buzzard1592 dorbellical1592 dunstical1592 heavy-headeda1593 shallow-brained1592 blunt-witted1594 mossy1597 Bœotian1598 clay-brained1598 fat1598 fat-witted1598 knotty-pated1598 stupidous1598 wit-lost1599 barren1600 duncifiedc1600 lourdish1600 stockish1600 thick1600 booby1603 leaden-pated1603 partless1603 thin-headed1603 leaden-skulledc1604 blockhead1606 frost-brained1606 ram-headed1608 beef-witted1609 insulse1609 leaden-spirited1609 asininec1610 clumse1611 blockheadly1612 wattle-headed1613 flata1616 logger-headeda1616 puppy-headeda1616 shallow-patedc1616 thick-brained1619 half-headed1621 buzzard-blinda1625 beef-brained1628 toom-headed1629 thick-witted1634 woollen-witted1635 squirrel-headed1637 clod-pated1639 lean-souled1639 muddy-headed1642 leaden-witteda1645 as sad as any mallet1645 under-headed1646 fat-headed1647 half-witted1647 insipid1651 insulsate1652 soft-headed1653 thick-skulleda1657 muddish1658 non-intelligent1659 whey-brained1660 sap-headed1665 timber-headed1666 leather-headeda1668 out of (one's) tree1669 boobily1673 thoughtless1673 lourdly1674 logger1675 unintelligenta1676 Bœotic1678 chicken-brained1678 under-witted1683 loggerhead1684 dunderheaded1692 unintelligible1694 buffle-headed1697 crassicc1700 numbskulled1707 crassous1708 doddy-polled1708 haggis-headed1715 niddy-noddy1722 muzzy1723 pudding-headed1726 sumphish1728 pitcher-souleda1739 duncey1743 hebete1743 chuckheaded1756 dumb1756 duncely1757 imbecile1766 mutton-headed1768 chuckle-headed1770 jobbernowl1770 dowfarta1774 boobyish1778 wittol1780 staumrel1787 opaquec1789 stoopid1791 mud-headed1793 borné1795 muzzy-headed1798 nog-headed1800 thick-headed1801 gypit1804 duncish1805 lightweight1809 numbskull1814 tup-headed1816 chuckle-pate1820 unintellectuala1821 dense1822 ninnyish1822 dunch1825 fozy1825 potato-headed1826 beef-headed1828 donkeyish1831 blockheadish1833 pinheaded1837 squirrel-minded1837 pumpkin-headed1838 tomfoolish1838 dundering1840 chicken-headed1842 like a bump on a log1842 ninny-minded1849 numbheadeda1852 nincompoopish1852 suet-brained1852 dolly1853 mullet-headed1853 sodden1853 fiddle-headed1854 numb1854 bovine1855 logy1859 crass1861 unsmart1861 off his chump1864 wooden-headed1865 stupe1866 lean-minded1867 duffing1869 cretinous1871 doddering1871 thick-head1873 doddling1874 stupido1879 boneheaded1883 woolly-headed1883 leaden-natured1889 suet-headed1890 sam-sodden1891 dopey1896 turnip-headed1898 bonehead1903 wool-witted1905 peanut-headed1906 peanut-brained1907 dilly1909 torpid-minded1909 retardate1912 nitwitted1917 meat-headed1918 mug1922 cloth-headed1925 loopy1925 nitwit1928 lame-brained1929 dead from the neck up1930 simpy1932 nail-headed1936 square-headed1936 dingbats1937 pinhead1939 dim-witted1940 pea-brained1942 clueless1943 lobotomized1943 retarded1949 pointy-headed1950 clottish1952 like a stunned mullet1953 silly (or crazy) as a two-bob watch1954 out to lunch1955 pin-brained1958 dozy1959 eejity1964 out of one's tiny mind1965 doofus1967 twitty1967 twittish1969 twatty1975 twattish1976 blur1977 dof1979 goofus1981 dickheaded1991 dickish1991 numpty1992 cockish1996 1842 Spirit of Times 10 Sept. 330/1 For weeks past we have remained constantly ‘at home’ in our sanctum, ‘sitting like a bump on a log’. 1860 J. Kingsbury Let. 20 Sept. in J. Elder & D. Weber Trading in Santa Fe (1996) 253 I have been sitting here like a bump on a log doing nothing in the way of collections. 1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xviii. 232 With that he drove on and left the fellow standing there in the road like a bump on a log! 1982 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 19 Dec. There is no need for anyone to sit there like a bump on a log and not participate in the conversation. 2014 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 13 Sept. c7 I was left like a bump on a log and didn't know what to do. b. a bump on a log: (the type of) a silent, immobile, passive, or insignificant person or thing. ΚΠ 1856 N.Y. Herald 8 Sept. 1/3 He [sc. Millard Fillmore] is not as much as a bump on a log. 1872 N.Y. Times 7 Apr. 7/5 To hev ter confess he's a slingin' ink Over sich a bump on a log, Who didn't amount to shucks in a row. 1916 Amer. Sheep Breeder Sept. 542/1 A man would have to be a bump on a log, indeed, who would sit down and do nothing for the young men around. 1989 R. Baker Good Times i. 7 Russell, you've got no more gumption than a bump on a log. 2015 C. Ace Corpse with Sapphire Eyes 73 Still as active as a bump on a log, is she, Bud? P2. with a bump: abruptly, suddenly; with a shock. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > suddenness > [adverb] feringc1000 ferlyc1000 suddenlyc1290 feringlya1300 in a braida1400 sudden?1404 of (a) suddentyc1440 at a braid1549–62 on or upon a (or the) sudden1558 at a (orthe) sudden1562 in a sudden1562 abruptly1565 on or upon (a) suddenty?1567 of a sudden1570 upon a very great sudden1572 in or on a great, in sic a suddenty1587 plump1594 unaware1667 surprisedly1680 a-start1721 abruptedly1784 with a bump1872 just so1971 1872 Cleveland (Ohio) Morning Daily Herald 18 May Suppl. Oh! that I had left the Abbey while I was still lifted up above common things. Unfortunately I..came down to earth with a bump. 1920 O. W. Holmes Let. 6 Apr. in Holmes-Laski Lett. (1953) I. 259 I must go in 5 minutes to a conference of the JJ and therefore run down with a bump. 1955 E. Hillary High Adventure ix. 171 I came back to full consciousness with a bump. 2003 C. Fifield in K. Ferrier Lett. & Diaries iii. 57 After the enervating success of New York it was back to earth with a bump, a slow train journey to Ottawa, Illinois, and increasing worries about the mental health of her accompanist. P3. musical bumps: see musical adj. Compounds 1. Compounds C1. attributive. With first element in singular or plural. Rowing. Chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge Universities: designating a race in which boats start at fixed intervals, the starting places being determined by ‘bumps’ (see sense 6b) achieved in the previous race. Also: designating a college event celebrating achievements in such races. Cf. bumping race n. at bumping n.² Compounds 2. bump race n. ΚΠ 1858 Era 6 June 14/3 The first heat, which was a bump race. 1948 Washington Post 12 May 14 b/2 When he was Provost at Queens College, Oxford, the crew..won six bump races. 2011 E. Timms Taking up Torch vi. 80 The river was..scene of Bump Races in the spring. bumps race n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race torpid1838 bumping race1842 row-over1866 sculls1878 May1879 Lents1886 fours1891 getting-on race1892 row-off1893 re-row1901 tub-race1903 bumper1906 bump1923 bumps race1927 head race1953 1927 Daily Mirror 9 June 2/3 (heading) ‘Bumps’ race on radio. 1964 Guardian 13 Mar. 7/6 The cox of Clare's third boat during the Lent bumps races. 2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 17 May g1 A small, quiet pub..adorned with oars from the bumps races of past years. bump supper n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > meal > [noun] > evening meal or supper supperc1300 collationc1305 mid-dinnera1500 Sunday suppera1580 supper1598 evening meal1620 late dinner1649 ordinary suppera1661 petit souper1751 souper1787 ball supper1794 tray supper1825 kitchen supper1837 bump supper1845 evenmeat1848 tea-dinner1862 luncheon1903 the world > food and drink > food > meal > feast > [noun] > feasts for other occasions plough feast1355 king ale1472 natal1484 primifeste1551 mayor's feast1578 sheep-shearing feast1586 sheep-shearing1611 christening1617 bean-feast1805 updrinking1819 Thanksgiving dinner1830 bump supper1845 potlatch1858 stag1904 rehearsal dinner1906 1845 J. Pycroft Collegian's Guide vii. 149 A..bump supper, which, in plain English, means a little jovialty to celebrate..bumping in a boat-race. 1940 J. Buchan Memory Hold-the-Door iii. 61 Raymond [Asquith] wrote the poem,..On a Viscount who died on the Morrow of a Bump Supper. 2001 Daily Tel. 9 Feb. 31 He was a fine speaker at college occasions..—a skill which he had displayed notably in earlier days at Balliol bump suppers. bumps supper n. ΚΠ 1930 Manch. Guardian 24 Feb. 14/2 There was the usual time-honoured, boisterous roistering in Cambridge in connection with the bumps supper on Saturday. 1997 Guardian (Nexis) 2 Aug. Among his duties [as college master] will be undergraduate sherry parties, Bumps Suppers for rowing teams and angling for commercial money. 2013 W. Whyte in J. Hamlett Residential Institut. Brit. (2016) x. 165 Truscot did not want to create a Redbrick world of sported oaks or hilarious bumps suppers. C2. bump absorber n. now rare a device, esp. on a motor vehicle, for absorbing bumps and jolts; cf. shock absorber n. 1. ΚΠ 1908 Westm. Gaz. 3 Oct. 3/2 Pneumatic bump-absorbers. 1973 Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 13 July a-5 (advt.) Bump absorbers... Heavy rubber strips..to absorb the shock of minor impacts. bump ball n. Cricket a ball hit hard on to the ground close to the bat, esp. one which appears to carry to a fielder for a catch; cf. bum ball at bum n.⁵ ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke long ball1744 nip1752 catch1816 no-hit1827 cut1833 short hit1833 draw1836 drive1836 square hit1837 skylarker1839 skyer1840 skyscraper1842 back-cut1845 bum1845 leg sweep1846 slog1846 square cut1850 driver1851 Harrow drive1851 leg slip1852 poke1853 snick1857 snorter1859 leg stroke1860 smite1861 on-drive1862 bump ball1864 rocketer1864 pull1865 grass trimmer1867 late cut1867 off-drive1867 spoon1871 push1873 push stroke1873 smack1875 Harrow drive1877 pull-stroke1880 leg glance1883 gallery-hit1884 boundary-stroke1887 glide1888 sweep1888 boundary1896 hook1896 leg glide1896 backstroke1897 flick1897 hook stroke1897 cover-drive1898 straight drive1898 square drive1900 edger1905 pull-drive1905 slash1906 placing stroke1907 push drive1912 block shot1915 if-shot1920 placing shot1921 cow-shot1922 mow1925 Chinese cut1937 haymaker1954 hoick1954 perhapser1954 air shot1956 steepler1959 mishook1961 swish1963 chop- 1864 Bell's Life in London 30 July 9/1 This change soon got rid of Willsher (who was given out, as many thought, from a ‘bump ball’). 1963 Times 18 Feb. 10/2 When an appeal was made the umpire ruled that it was a bump ball. 2002 Guardian 12 Sept. 28/7 Umpires..can now refer a multitude of decisions to the television umpire for clarification, including..suspected bump balls. bump car n. originally and chiefly North American = bumper car n. at bumper n.¹ and adj. Compounds 3; cf. Dodgem n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > fairground or amusement park > [noun] > fairground ride > dodgems > car bump car1937 bumper car1938 1937 K. Hull & P. Whitlock Far-distant Oxus xx. 276 The six wandered off to have turns on the bump cars. 1968 N.Y. Amsterdam News 28 Sept. 51/5 Merry-go-rounds, bump cars, and other thrill rides. 2015 Philippines Daily Inquirer (Nexis) 15 Dec. Jasper was lukewarm for the most part of the conversation, until the idea of riding in bump cars sank in. bump-draft v. North American Motor Racing transitive (of a vehicle or its driver) to bump the back of (another vehicle) while travelling in its slipstream, in order to increase the speed of both vehicles; also intransitive. ΚΠ 1983 Road & Track Feb. 72/3 After Monday's lapping session the three of us..found..the cars could be bump-drafted. 1999 Atlanta Jrnl. & Constit. (Nexis) 14 Feb. 14 e I'm sure he..was just trying to push me along. You bump draft a little here, and he kind of caught it the wrong way and turned me sideways. 2014 S. Ulfelder Wolverine Bros. Freight & Storage xvi. 89 It's a big strategy for going fast at Talladega and Daytona. I bump-drafted the Excursion. bump draft n. North American Motor Racing an instance of bump drafting. ΚΠ 1988 Car & Driver Jan. 162/3 To effect a bump-draft, a closely following driver first nuzzles the rump of the vehicle just ahead. If the vehicles are moving fast enough, perhaps 75 mph or more, an air pressure envelope holds them together. 2014 Florida Times-Union (Nexis) 23 Feb. c11 I got a bump draft from Trevor [Bayne] almost at the exact time that I started pulling off of the 22 car. bump drafting n. North American Motor Racing a technique in which one vehicle bumps the back of another while travelling in its slipstream, in order to increase the speed of both vehicles.Typically involving members of the same racing team. ΚΠ 1987 Los Angeles Times 3 Dec. iii. 12/3 They do a lot of bump-drafting where the car in back actually pushes the car in front with both of them flat-out on the throttle. 2005 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 2 May s7/1 Many drivers were seeing red over the racing conditions..and the blatant disregard competitors gave to NASCAR's prerace suggestion against bump drafting. bump map n. (in computer graphics) a file specifying how a given computer-generated object is to be illuminated so as to provide it with a textured appearance, typically taking the form of a greyscale image in which the shade of each pixel determines how brightly a corresponding pixel on the surface of the object is illuminated; cf. bump mapping n. ΚΠ 1985 Computer Graphics (ACM SIGGRAPH) 19 No. 3 305/1 Bark is simulated with a bump map digitized from real world bark. 1999 PC Mag. 1 Sept. 44 The bump map simulates directional lighting and creates an illusion of depth in a rough surface. 2011 A. Chopine 3D Art Ess. xi. 159 Bump maps are sufficient for shallow types of roughness such as from a brick, an orange, or a golf ball. bump mapping n. (in computer graphics) any of various techniques for providing the surface of a computer-generated object with a textured appearance by manipulating the calculations that determine how each pixel is illuminated.Bump mapping does not change the geometry of the surface of the object, and is for this reason often less demanding computationally than other techniques. ΚΠ 1983 IEEE Spectrum Feb. 50/2 These techniques include texture mapping.., bump mapping.., color, and lighting models. 1999 Personal Computer World June 178/2 Advanced features include an 8-bit stencil buffer, anisotropic filtering and bump mapping. 2014 R. Elias Digital Media xii. 602 Bump mapping uses the brightness values of an image. Bright regions will look raised while dark regions look sunk. bump-off n. slang (originally U.S.) (now rare) a murder; cf. to bump off at bump v.¹ Phrasal verbs 1. ΚΠ ?1921 E. Hemingway Ash Heel's Tendon in N.Y. Times Mag. (1985) 18 Aug. 23/3 An exorbitant price for a simple bump-off job. 1934 R. Chandler Finger Man in Black Mask Oct. 11/2 ‘They pushed him on to the roadway, filled with lead’... ‘It was a nasty bump-off.’ 1975 J. Porter All about Beer i. 9 Cornering the market in submachine guns and wholesale bump-offs. bump-out n. originally and chiefly U.S. an extension of a room or building that creates a projection from a wall; frequently attributive; cf. to bump out at bump v.¹ 15b. ΚΠ 1977 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 3 Apr. 45/2 (advt.) 2 bdrm. trailer close to the air base, has two bump-outs and shed. 1991 Pop. Sci. May 45/2 At the front of the house, a ‘bump-out’ bay window is to be built using new Marvin double-hung sashes. 2005 S. Amick Lake, River & Other Lake xxiii. 98 The Weneshkeen Heritage Museum, which is a small bay-windowed bump-out in the public library. bump run n. Skiing (chiefly North American) a ski run with many small mounds of snow; cf. mogul n.² ΚΠ 1973 B. Mann Hot Dog Skiing iv. 64 It is much more difficult to ski a big bump run on a cloudy, flat day than it is to ski through slalom. 1987 Toronto Star (Nexis) 14 Mar. f19 My instructor/guide..assured me all the trails, except for some bump runs, were groomed every night. 2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 Mar. v. 11/4 We took the lift to the top and skied down.., following one another down wide-open bowls, through the trees, down bump runs, trying to keep the same line as the person in front of us. † bump-stick n. Obsolete a shoemaker's tool for smoothing leather shoe soles. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > for smoothing St Hugh's bones1600 bump-stick1670 sandpaper stick1882 seat-file1891 1670 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) xxvi. 126 Also of Box are made..Bump-sticks, and Dressers for the Shooe-maker. 1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Box It [sc. Boxwood] makes also..Bump-Sticks and Dressers for Shoemakers. bump stop n. (in a vehicle) a device designed to protect the suspension when it is compressed suddenly and forcefully, typically consisting of a tough, compressible attachment mounted between two moving parts of the suspension. ΚΠ 1938 Proc. Inst. Automobile Engineers 32 451 A rubber bump stop now becomes essential, and in practice a rubber rebound stop is also required. 1976 F. Puhn How to make your Car Handle iv. 135/1 If the car is driven and hits a bump, the spring should compress still more—perhaps another 4 inches before the suspension hits the bump stop. 2005 Pop. Mech. Nov. 117/1 Thoroughly inspect each bump stop, which may be either a pillow- or cone-shaped chunk of black rubber. bump-up n. †(a) slang (apparently) a murder; = bump-off n. (obsolete. rare); (b) a sudden increase (cf. sense 11 and to bump up 1 at bump v.¹ Phrasal verbs 1). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > rapid or sharp increase mushroom growth1727 skyrocketing1821 wave1851 jump1883 mushrooming1916 bump-up1927 upsurgence1934 upsurge1935 explosion1953 surge1964 quantum jump1975 quantum leap1977 1927 Sat. Rev. 26 Feb. 306/1 A surfeit of small arms,..show-downs, bump-ups, and other atmospheric conditions of..New Mexico. 1938 North-China Herald 2 Nov. 215/5 The real value of a successful novel is the bump-up that it gives to the author's price with magazine editors. 1955 Wichita Falls (Texas) Times 25 Dec. 6 a/3 Defense outlays..won't give business a bump up, but they won't be a drag either. 2000 Wall St. Jrnl. 15 June c21/3 By deferring payments, that same person would earn a retirement credit that amounts to a bump-up of 6% a year. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bumpn.³ Brit. /bʌmp/, U.S. /bəmp/ Forms: 1700s– bump, 1800s bomp. Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymology: Origin unknown. 1. A type of coarse yarn made from refuse cotton (formerly also from refuse wool or flax); fabric made from such yarn. Cf. candle-wick n. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > other bustian1424 cotton tissed1585 Manchester1589 cannequin1598 madapollam1685 burdet1710 antherine1739 canque1750 jaconet1769 medium1777 bump1794 American sheeting1840 American cloth1851 American leather1858 gala1858 Merikani1860 T cloth1865 dhurrie1880 Americani1881 Tarantulle1890 Aertex1896 Tobralco1910 limbric1930 Ventile1954 1794 R. Lowe Gen. View Agric. Nottingham 126 At Gamston, near Radford, a mill which occasionally spins worsted, cotton, and bump. a1824 J. Briggs Remains (1825) 174 A robust girl, in a short petticoat of Kendal bump. 1868 A. Sedgwick Mem. Cowgill Chapel 58 Some of it [sc. wool] was..spun into a very coarse and clumsy thread; and so it supplied the material for a kind of rude manufacture, that went, I think, under the elegant name of Bump. 1918 Textile World Jrnl. 9 Feb. 25/3 In England large quantities [of reclaimed cotton fibers] are used for the making of candle wick or ‘bump’. 2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 15 Sept. d2/1 Dressmaker curtains, the kind that are interlined with bump or domette—thick woven cottons that insulate and block sunlight. 2. A kind of matting used as a floor covering, probably made of bump (sense 1). Now historical and rare.In all quots. referring to the furnishings of the British House of Commons. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > floor-covering > [noun] > mat > types of tatami1614 bent-mat1615 bass-mat1727 bump1835 bast mat1837 parawai1847 brocade-matting1902 hooked mat1917 sit-mat1924 1835 Ann. Reg. 1834 162/1 He pulled up the bump (a sort of floor-cloth), which was upon the stone against Black Rod's box. 1838 Ventilation of House 1 in Parl. Papers 1837–8 (H.C. 725) XXXVI. 345 Carpeting, bump, and hair-cloth, and taking up and cleaning the same. 2012 C. Shenton Day Parl. burned Down iv. 62 It was a big operation.., as it required all the floor matting and bump to be taken up by someone from the Office of Works. Compounds C1. General attributive and objective. ΚΠ 1817 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire III. 484 Bump or Bomp-spinning Mills. 1838 Sheffield Independent 3 Mar. He..found the blankets and the bump sheet. 1908 H. B. Heylin Cotton Weaver's Handbk. 170 Coarse numbers below 3^s, used for weft purposes in counterpanes and other coarse fabrics, are termed ‘bump’ yarns. 1971 Business Hist. Rev. 45 350 Industrialization also brought new techniques in reclamation:..waste silk from reeling was retrieved as spun silk; and waste cotton as bump cotton. 2008 K. D. King Cool Couture 15/2 Drapery interlining flannel, also known as bump cloth, is quite sumptuous and hangs well. C2. bump mill n. a factory in which bump (sense 1) is manufactured.Now only in place names. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [noun] > manufacture of fabric from specific materials > place for manufacture of other fabrics bump mill1817 1817 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire III. 370 Past the Bump-Mill. 1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §36 5 Spinner, bump mill..spins candle wick yarn from coarse cotton waste. 2014 Matlock Mercury (Nexis) 18 May Walton Bump Mill, one of the earliest buildings in the world to be fire proofed in this way. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022). bumpv.¹ Brit. /bʌmp/, U.S. /bəmp/ Forms: 1500s– bump, 1500s–1600s bumpe. Origin: Probably an imitative or expressive formation. Etymology: Probably imitative of the sound of a blow (compare bum v.³, thump v.). Compare earlier bump n.² (first attested later in senses corresponding to branch I.).In senses relating to bulging or swelling (see branch II.) after bump n.² I. To strike or knock heavily or firmly, and related senses. †1. transitive. To strike or smite heavily; to beat, to thump; to assail. Also with about. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > strike with specific degree of force [verb (transitive)] > strike heavily cloutc1330 bunch1362 sousec1520 blad1524 dauda1572 bum1581 bump1611 bash1833 twat1974 1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos v. sig. P.iij With both his armes he bumpes. 1566 J. Studley tr. Seneca Medea v. f. 45 Whom bumping with thy rapping post Megera wilt thou crush [L. quem trabe infesta petit Megaera]? 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Baculer, to bumpe on the Posteriorums with a Bat. 1649 More Light Shining Bucks. 9 Thumping and bumping the Pulpit cushions. 1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. ii. 268 That antagonist whom he bumps and pummels so furiously. 1783 Fairing 78 Whittington..would have lived happily in this worthy Family, had he not been bumped about by the cross Cook. 2. slang. a. transitive. To have (vigorous) sexual intercourse with; to copulate with.Earliest in unbumped. Apparently unrecorded between the 18th and 20th centuries. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with mingeOE haveOE knowc1175 ofliec1275 to lie with (or by)a1300 knowledgec1300 meetc1330 beliea1350 yknowc1350 touchc1384 deala1387 dightc1386 usea1387 takec1390 commona1400 to meet witha1400 servea1400 occupy?a1475 engender1483 jangle1488 to be busy with1525 to come in1530 visitc1540 niggle1567 mow1568 to mix one's thigh with1593 do1594 grind1598 pepper1600 yark1600 tumble1603 to taste of1607 compressc1611 jumble1611 mix?1614 consort?1615 tastea1616 bumfiddle1630 ingressa1631 sheet1637 carnal1643 night-work1654 bump1669 bumble1680 frig?c1680 fuck1707 stick1707 screw1719 soil1722 to do over1730 shag1770 hump1785 subagitatec1830 diddle1879 to give (someone) onec1882 charver1889 fuckeec1890 plugc1890 dick1892 to make a baby1911 to know (a person) in the biblical sense1912 jazz1920 rock1922 yentz1924 roll1926 to make love1927 shtupa1934 to give (or get) a tumble1934 shack1935 bang1937 to have it off1937 rump1937 tom1949 to hop into bed (with)1951 ball1955 to make it1957 plank1958 score1960 naughty1961 pull1965 pleasurea1967 to have away1968 to have off1968 dork1970 shaft1970 bonk1975 knob1984 boink1985 fand- 1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais 2nd Bk. Wks. xxvi. 170 There escape not one unbumped by me.] 1669 Songs Alamode in New Acad. Complements 257 I'z bump thee quoth he..How lik'st it quoth he, well Thomas quoth she. 1772 T. Bridges Burlesque Transl. Homer (rev. ed.) v. 188 It odd is For mortal man to bump a Goddess. 1989 ‘3rd Bass’ Steppin' to the A.M in J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1994) I. (at cited word) You're bumpin' a freak. 1992 R. C. Cruz Straight outta Compton 50 I bumped her booty hard until I reached the point where I almost dropped dead. b. intransitive. To have (vigorous) sexual intercourse; to copulate with; cf. to bump uglies at Phrases 3b, bump and grind v. 1. ΚΠ 1975 R. Wright Rocking xi. 116 Just because we don't want to bump around with them [sc. men] doesn't mean we can't flirt. 2003 S. Bacon & J. Daniels Draw me with your Love vi. 55 I had been bumping with Mya for about six months now, regardless of the fact that Mya was married to a man. 2011 M. McCafferty Bumped 277 I haven't bumped with Jondoe! 3. a. transitive. To collide heavily or firmly with (a person or thing); to inflict a bump or jolt upon; to knock.Apparently not recorded in the 18th cent. 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 1673 E. Hickeringill Gregory 162 The Butt-end of his Gun bumps his own breast, and fells him with the Recoil. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Epic in Poems (new ed.) II. 2 Three times slipping from the outer edge, I bump'd the ice into three several stars. 1884 Army & Navy Q. Oct. 403 You cannot send a small current through for testing, unless a boat or a friendly ship bumps the mine for you. 1925 Motor Boating Mar. 23/1 We bumps a sand bar and then the current it swings us around. 1968 G. M. Williams From Scenes like These xii. 304 Bumping a guy in the face with his elbow. 2014 Z. F. Robinson This ain't Chicago i. 30 Flour..rose and settled as she inadvertently bumped the counter space. b. intransitive. To collide heavily or firmly with a person or thing; to make contact in such a way as to experience a bump or jolt. Chiefly with into, against. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > impinge [verb (intransitive)] > forcibly or violently beatc885 pilta1200 smitec1300 dashc1305 pitchc1325 dushc1400 hitc1400 jouncec1440 hurl1470 swack1488 knock1530 jut1548 squat1587 bump1699 jowl1770 smash1835 lasha1851 ding1874 biff1904 wham1948 slam1973 1699 Cervantes' Don Quixote ii. v. 158 The Fountain was but shallow, and their Arses bumped against the bottom. 1789 Family Mag. Jan. 43 My heart bumped so, you might have heard it. 1791 World 24 June The ship bumped several times very hard upon the sands. 1857 J. G. Holland Bay-path xxv. 301 His heart bumped So heavily against the walls of his chest. 1885 M. D. Chalmers Law Times 80 191/1 Due to the cask bumping against the cellar wall. 1951 J. D. Salinger Catcher in Rye xxi. 188 I had to be careful not to bump into anything and make a racket. 1960 C. Day Lewis Buried Day ii. 38 Moths bumped against the lamp chimneys. 2003 Independent 14 July (Review section) 2/1 People bumping into you on the subway. c. transitive. To bring (something, esp. one's head) heavily or firmly into contact with something; to cause to suffer a bump or jolt; to hurt or damage in this way. Frequently with on, against. ΚΠ 1775 Morning Chron. 5 Aug. Fracturing his skull by bumping his head against a beam. 1830 Bower of Taste (Boston) 3 Apr. 204 I bumped my unprotected caput against the corner of a stone. 1893 M. H. Catherwood Old Kaskaskia iii. 123 The harp went up..tingling with little sighs as they bumped it on the steps. 1912 Southwestern Reporter 148 26/1 They had brought the car in attached to the engine and so bumped it against the other cars with the same force. 1965 M. Spark Mandelbaum Gate vi. 159 Freddy, half-way, came to a curve in the stairs and bumped the suitcase loudly into the wall. 2008 J. Stone Eagle 110 He..accidentally bumped his head on the canopy frame. 4. transitive. To seize (a person) by the arms and legs and strike his or her rump against a wall, post, etc., esp. as a punishment. In later use also occasionally: to hold (a person) horizontally by the arms and legs and lift him or her up and down repeatedly, often as a birthday custom; cf. to give a person the bumps at bump n.² 12. Now rare. ΚΠ ?1700 J. Shirley Londons Glory vii. sig. C4 To order his four Men, each to take a Hand and a Leg..and carry him to a Post on the Key, and there by swinging him backward and forward to bump his Arse soundly against it.] 1751 Scribbler iii. 50 (stage direct.) Here they Bump him, and then dance round him in a Ring. 1819 J. Dugdale New Brit. Traveller I. 54/2 They bumped him, replaced him on his horse, bade him good speed, and proceeded to finish their task. 1868 Chambers's Jrnl. 18 Jan. 42/1 Coming upon a brother of the rod quietly trying his skill and patience on the banks of the Lea, they seized upon him, and bumped him most mercilessly. 1903 Sat. Rev. 17 Jan. 73/1 I hope you get well bumped at school. 1960 G. Mitchell Say it with Flowers iii. 46 Let's bump him for wasting our time! 5. a. intransitive. To move with a bump or succession of bumps; to go or travel in a jolting manner. Also with along. Also figurative. ΚΠ 1788 G. Colman Ways & Means i. 18 All night, bumping down to Dover, on a ragged, raw-boned post-horse, with a brace of pistols at my knees. 1827 New Monthly Mag. 20 308 His legs..swung irregularly up and down as he bumped along. 1872 Southern Mag. (Baltimore) Oct. 493 The iron-laden barrows bumped over the deck with hideous regularity. 1921 Leslie's Illustr. Weekly 16 July 106/2 Fords bumped for miles over railroad ties covered with water. 1958 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. xvi. 193 The massive Mills Blue Rhythm Band, bumping along behind the solos of Red Allen on trumpet. 1977 Time 3 Jan. 50/1 We bumped along in darkness. 2003 J. Lethem Fortress of Solitude iii. vii. 397 They bumped past on a mower or snowplow. b. transitive. To move (a person or thing) heavily in a specified direction with a bump or succession of bumps; to push or carry in a jolting manner. Also with along. ΚΠ 1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. iv. 69 We bumped ashore a hundred kegs. 1886 F. H. Burnett Little Lord Fauntleroy iii. 32 Big trunks..were being bumped down and dragged about. 1907 B. E. Stevenson Young Train Dispatcher 266 He swung open the outside door, bumped the chair down the steps. 1937 W. Duke Stroke of Murder 67 Each held a corner of the sack and bumped it along the path, careless of the head striking the ground. 1978 M. Gordon Final Payments xii. 187 Patricia Kiley bumped her mother, strapped into a wheelchair, lovelessly across the floor. 2012 N.Y. Mag. (Nexis) 24 Sept. 1 A..couple..bumping suitcases down the subway stairs. c. intransitive. Aeronautics. Of an aircraft: to make a sudden upward or downward movement as a result of passing through a region of turbulent air. Cf. bump n.² 9. ΘΚΠ society > travel > air or space travel > specific movements or positions of aircraft > fly [verb (intransitive)] > move irregularly due to unequal air pressure bump1914 1914 H. Rosher Let. 11 Aug. in In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 15 While flying at 200 feet, the machine suddenly bumped [note, met an airwave]... These bumps are due to the sun's action on the air and are called ‘sun bumps’. 1933 Boys' Mag. 47 24/2 We shall probably bump a bit, owing to air-pockets. 2002 E. Weihenmayer Touch Top World xii. 171 It was an unstable feeling as the plane bumped and dropped sharply in sync with the air currents. 6. Rowing. In the context of a race in which boats start at fixed intervals (chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge Universities). a. transitive. To touch or begin to overtake (the boat in front); to achieve a ‘bump’ (bump n.² 6a) against. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > race boats [verb (transitive)] > row a race > actions in rowing race bump1826 wash1865 overbump1900 overrate1960 1826 Lit. Lounger May 222 Christ Church bumps her. 1850 C. Kingsley Alton Locke I. xiii. 195 Having, as he informed me, ‘bumped the first Trinity’. 1932 B. Johnston Let. 29 May in Lett. Home 1926–45 (1998) 96 I went to see New College ‘bumped’ one day, but otherwise there has been little else doing. 1995 S. E. Grace in M. Lowry Sursum Corda! I. 49 The object of the race is to move up a total of four places in the line by bumping the preceding boat on each of four successive days. 2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 17 May g1 If a boat overtakes another and either literally or technically ‘bumps’ it, the two boats pull off to the side. b. intransitive. To touch or begin to overtake the boat in front; to achieve a ‘bump’ (bump n.² 6a). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > take part in boat racing or race [verb (intransitive)] > actions in rowing race paddle1697 to row over1830 bump1861 sugar1882 1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. xiv. 276 Colleges, whose boats have no chance of bumping. 1891 Atlantic Monthly June 790/2 It may bump..twice in the same day. 1920 ‘Two of 'em’ Guide Cambr. Univ. Life 10 If three or more boats bump simultaneously the rear boat goes to the front of those boats, and is said to have made an ‘over-bump’. 1939 Manch. Guardian 9 June 5/4 They..got near to Trinity Hall but not near enough to bump. 2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 17 May g1 The boat that bumped moves up to a higher starting position. 7. intransitive. Chemistry. Of a liquid that is being heated: to boil unevenly with the sudden expulsion of large bubbles of vapour which can force liquid from the container. Cf. bumping n.² 2b, and note there. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > undergo chemical reactions or processes [verb (intransitive)] > undergo chemical reactions or processes (named) > undergo miscellaneous other processes re-embody1654 depart1704 effervesce1747 bump1848 creep1888 olate1931 hybridize1962 1848 J. E. Bowman Introd. Pract. Chem. i. ii. 18 If, instead of boiling quietly and uniformly, the water in the retort ‘bumps’, owing to the sudden disengagement of large bubbles of steam, a few fragments of broken glass or platinum wire may be placed in the retort, to assist the formation of small bubbles from their surface. 1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 195/2 Methyl-alcohol has quite a characteristic tendency to ‘bump’ badly on distillation. 1950 P. J. Durrant Org. Chem. iii. 64 As the pressure of a boiling liquid is lowered, the tendency to ‘bump’ is greatly increased. 2008 New Scientist 14 June (inside back cover) My guess is that the wine in the frying pan bumped. 8. Cricket. a. intransitive. Of a ball: to rise sharply after pitching. Also with up. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (intransitive)] > motion of ball to make haste?a1475 twist?1801 cut1816 shoot1816 curl1833 hang1838 work1838 break1847 spin1851 turn1851 bump1856 bite1867 pop1871 swerve1894 to kick up1895 nip1899 swing1900 google1907 move1938 seam1960 to play (hit, etc.) across the line1961 1856 Bell's Life in London 20 July 7/5 One little spot at the lower wicket..caused the ball occasionally to bump. 1871 Baily's Monthly Mag. June 172 There was an ugly place where the ball bumped near the north wicket. 1916 Bellman 17 June 698/2 The local butcher was batting, when a ball bumped up and hit him on the head. 1935 Manch. Guardian 22 July 3/4 Sutcliffe and Barber were beaten by successive deliveries; in both instances the ball ‘bumped’. b. transitive. Of a bowler: to deliver (the ball) so that it rises sharply after pitching. Cf. bounce v. 6d.Increasingly uncommon from the late 20th cent. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (transitive)] > bowl in specific manner twist1816 overthrow1833 to bowl over the wicket1851 overpitch1851 bump1869 york1882 to break a ball1884 flog1884 to bowl round (or formerly outside) the wicket1887 turn1898 flick1902 curl1904 spin1904 volley1909 flight1912 to give (a ball) air1920 tweak1935 move1938 overspin1940 swing1948 bounce1960 cut1960 seam1963 dolly1985 1869 Derby Mercury 1 Sept. 7/2 M'Intyre ‘bumped’ one which was caught by the wicket keeper off the handle of Billyeald's bat. 1888 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 18 June 6/5 The Yorkshire fast bowlers..bumped the ball considerably. 1933 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Feb. 10/1 Larwood bumped the last over the batsman's head. 1951 Manch. Guardian 3 Jan. 6/1 When Walker once bumped a ball wide of the off stump Hutton cut it down and late. 2015 J. Lazenby Strangers who came Home xii. 164 Regularly bumping the ball over the wicketkeeper's head. 9. transitive. Watchmaking. To adjust or manipulate a wheel so that it lies flat or attains a desired position (see quot. 1903). Now rare. ΚΠ 1872 Eng. Mechanic & World of Sci. 26 July 489/3 I have found out, by experience, never to risk laying a Geneva escape-wheel entirely on a hollow punch to bump it. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 246 Stake. Useful for ‘bumping’ wheels, i.e., altering the plane of the teeth with relation to the hole. 1903 C. G. Warnford Lane Workshop Recipts IV. 327/2 Ordinary flat wheels are riveted as nearly true in flat as possible, and then, if necessary, ‘bumped’—that is, the wheel is set up between the ends of a pair of callipers, and by means of a little strip of brass—called a ‘toucher’—the crossings are found, which require bending to make the wheel run flat... The necessary crossings are gently tapped with the hammer until the wheel runs true. 1965 Bull. National Assoc. Watch & Clock Collectors 11 967/1 A solution..not good practice at all, is to bump the wheel to a dish-shape so that it touches the pinion in a new place. 10. colloquial. a. transitive. U.S. To displace, dispose of; to dismiss. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > lack of work > [verb (transitive)] > dismiss or discharge to put awaya1387 discharge1428 dismiss1477 to put out of wages1542 discard1589 to turn away1602 to put off1608 disemploy1619 to pay off1648 to pay off1651 to turn out1667 to turn off1676 quietus1688 strip1756 trundle1794 unshop1839 shopc1840 to lay off1841 sack1841 drop1845 to give (a person) the shoot1846 bag1848 swap1862 fire1879 to knock off1881 bounce1884 to give (a person) the pushc1886 to give (a person) the boot or the order of the boot1888 bump1899 spear1911 to strike (a medical practitioner, etc.) off the register1911 terminate1920 tramp1941 shitcan1961 pink slip1966 dehire1970 resize1975 to give a person his jotters1990 1899 W. J. Kountz Billy Baxter's Lett. 49 If some guy cuts in on your steady,..you are going to call her fine and plenty, aren't you? And unless she promises to bump the other fellow, you are going to leave her in a rage, aren't you? 1918 Dial. Notes 5 23 To bump, vb. t., to dismiss from service. General. 1980 Washington Star 20 Jan. g1 Has Iowa bumped New Hampshire as the first state to say which way the wind is blowing in the presidential election? 2007 W. Martindale in B. L. Edwards C. S. Lewis III. vi. 134 None of that reading has bumped The Great Divorce from first place in thinking about eternity. b. transitive. U.S. To displace (a colleague) from a position by right of seniority, often as part of a series of such displacements. Used esp. of a union worker. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > position or job > [verb (transitive)] > take position of (another) bump1908 1908 Railroad Telegrapher Aug. 1367/1 Operator L. F. Smith..worked a few days at Herington, but was bumped there by Operator Roberts. 1941 Boston Daily Globe 3 Jan. 20 Joe Begin is working on the section for the C.P.R. here, having bumped Romeo Lavallee. Romeo then bumped Henri Carrier. 2013 R. E. Weir Workers in Amer. I. 98 In an anticipated temporary layoff, a senior worker might ‘bump’ a less-senior one. c. transitive. Originally U.S. To deprive (a passenger) of a reserved place on an airline flight, typically because of deliberate overbooking. Also in extended use. Frequently in passive. ΘΚΠ society > travel > air or space travel > transport by air > transport through the air [verb (transitive)] > deprive of reserved place on flight bump1947 1947 Funk & Wagnalls New College Standard Dict. 157/1 Bump.., to deprive (a passenger) of airplane transportation in favor of a later but more important traveler. 1978 Observer 30 July 3/1 They were blandly told that their flight was full. In other words, they had been ‘bumped’. 1989 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 7 July Their residents would be bumped off the trains to make room for wealthy passengers. 2010 C. Winston Last Exit vii. 117 In 2009, 13 of every 10,000 passengers were bumped on domestic flights. 11. transitive. slang (originally U.S.). To kill; to murder; = to bump off at Phrasal verbs 1. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > man-killing or homicide > murder or assassination > murder or assassinate [verb (transitive)] amurderOE murderc1175 homicidec1470 murdresc1480 murtrish1490 manquell1548 slaughter1582 massacre1591 assassinate1600 remove1609 assassin1620 to do the business for a person1759 Septembrize1794 croak1823 square1888 shift1898 to take out1900 to bump off1907 bump1914 to do in1914 to put out1917 to knock off1919 terminate1920 to give (a person) the works1929 scrag1930 snuff1932 wash1941 waste1964 wipe1968 to terminate with extreme prejudice1969 neutralize1970 snuff1973 stiff1974 1914 L. E. Jackson & C. R. Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 21 He copped a cuter and got bumped making a get-away. 1927 C. F. Coe Me—Gangster iii. 52 Who bumped that poor chump that was drivin' the car? 1943 P. Cheyney You can always Duck xii. 186 You didn't want him..to know you had bumped Clemensky. 2000 L. Gough Funny Money ii. 11 If Carlos bumped him and scrammed with the cash, who'd watch his back when Marty came a-calling? 12. transitive. Military slang (originally Navy). Of a vessel: to explode (a mine or minefield). Also: to strike (a target) with one or more explosive projectiles; to bombard. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use of mines and explosives > use mines and explosives [verb (transitive)] > mine > explode a mine, etc. spring1625 vent1687 fire1699 to let off1714 to set off1881 bump1915 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > operate (artillery) [verb (transitive)] > bombard ding1548 to lay battery to1548 cannon1567 thunder1590 cannonade1637 bombard1686 bomb1694 shell1827 plonk1874 plaster1914 bump1915 labour1915 water1915 barragea1917 paste1942 stonk1944 1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Tall Ship ix. 160 We haven't bumped a mine-field. 1919 Athenæum 1 Aug. 695/2 An artilleryman speaks of having ‘bumped’ a certain town or spot, meaning shelled. 1944 J. Wright All Clear, Canada! 26 Later, I was sleeping in a cabin when we were bumped again. 1989 R. R. McCammon Wolf's Hour 525 I can't even swim. Which would be beside the point..if you bumped a mine. 13. intransitive. To dance the bump (bump n.² 10b) with someone. ΚΠ 1975 S. Levay & ‘S. Prager’ Lady Bump (transcribed from song) in ‘P. McLean’ Lady Bump All I wanna do is to bump with you. 1977 Billboard 11 June 76 (song title) Ain't gonna bump no more (with no big fat woman). 1989 B. Blauner Black Lives, White Lives (1990) ix. 208 It did not matter what color you were, you bumped with whoever was beside you. 2011 S. P. Weaver Rebirth vi. 310 Deb and Leslie..started ‘bumping’ with each other. Frank..just started doin' the Bump with anything and everything within sight. 14. transitive. Computing. On a newsgroup or (now more usually) an internet forum: to move (a thread, esp. an inactive one) to the top of the list of active threads by posting on it. ΚΠ 1999 Re: Adventures of Jurassic Joe in alt.toys.gi-joe (Usenet newsgroup) 3 Aug. The fact that I've posted this..should bump the thread back up towards the top of the list. 2008 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 22 Apr. a1 When no one responded, he bumped his thread back to the top of the board. 2010 Family Relations 59 19 A poster replied to a thread to bump it to the top of the list of active threads. II. To bulge out. 15. †a. intransitive. To bulge out; to be or become protuberant. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > be or become protuberant [verb (intransitive)] struta1300 bouge1398 embossc1430 bagc1440 bossc1449 bunch1495 bump1566 boin1567 protuberate1578 pagglea1592 bulch1611 extuberate1623 belly1627 heave1629 bulge1679 swell1679 bud1684 pod1806 bilge1849–52 sag1853 knucklec1862 poocha1903 1566 [implied in: T. Nuce tr. Octavia ii. i. sig. D.ij^v All the bumping bygnesse it doth beare. (at bumping adj. 1)]. 1597 J. Gerard Herball iii. 1299 Long fruite..with kernels bumping out. 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1021 Of the round line that part which is..without doth bumpe and bunch. 1640 J. D. Knave in Graine v. i. sig. M2 Hee is not troubled with the Mumps, and yet see how one side of his cheeks bumps out. 1730 Grub-St. Jrnl. 26 Mar. The gourd naturally swells and bumps out. 1856 J. W. King Characters & Incidents ix. 89 That organ [sc. the organ of Individuality] does not bump out forcefully between my eyes. b. transitive. To make protuberant; to cause to swell up or be raised out. In later use (chiefly U.S., with out): spec. to add an extension to (a room or building) in such a way as to create a projection from a wall; cf. bump-out n. at bump n.² Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > make protuberant [verb (transitive)] bossc1380 embossc1475 bag1582 belly1609 womb?1623 bumpa1680 protuberate1778 bilge1808 hump1840 bulge1865 a1680 [implied in: J. Bargrave Pope Alexander VII (1867) ii. 120 Another triangular, unequilateral, bumped-up, large loadstone. (at a1680 at bumped adj. 1)]. 1682 E. Hickeringill Mushroom 11 Her Helicon's not strong, but needs no pains To bump it up, no Heaveings, no hard straynes. 1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth I. 187 He bumpt up our Bellies. 1839 Fraser's Mag. June 717/1 From the hour of his birth till the day of his death, never does the organ of credulity cease to bump out his cerebrum. 1900 Daily Mail 31 Oct. The leaf bumper who bumps up the leaves commonly seen in metal work. 1969 N.Y. Times 7 Dec. r1/1 There is no reason to enlarge the whole house... All one has to do is ‘bump’ out the sides. 2009 S. Susanka & M. Vassallo Not so Big Remodeling viii. 116/2 Architect Gail Wong bumped out the entire back of the house by 30 in. 16. transitive. Printing. To spread out (the text of a book, article, etc.) by wide spacing, page layout, or similar means, so as to make it fill the desired number of pages. Chiefly with out. Also in extended use. ΚΠ 1752 in B. Thornton Have at You All 26 Mar. 243 I will not take under fifteen pence a sheet for my new Novel, which you know may be bump'd into four Volumes. 1752 Monthly Rev. Dec. 412 Some late modern productions, which contain not more than half as much print as this,..have been bump'd out (as the printers phrase it) to near double the price. 1868 Athenæum 17 Oct. 499/3 It [sc. The Testament of Love] was never..imputed to Chaucer until it appeared near the end of Godfrey's impression in 1532, almost as if only to ‘bump out’ the volume. 1885 Bookseller 6 July 49/1 The text had been so ingeniously bumped out by the publishers that it filled twice the number of pages it should have done. 1931 Bookman Nov. 137/1 A short story bumped out with whimsical wise cracks. 1989 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. 12/3 Films that..have been bumped out on video by the use of formerly discarded scenes. 2000 Bks. Ireland Feb. 40/1 To bump the book out..each double spread of poem and picture is preceded by a blank page and a half-title. Phrases P1. transitive. Sport (originally and chiefly Horse Racing). to bump and bore: to run into or knock off course, and then push or thrust past (a competitor); (intransitive) to proceed in such a manner. Also in extended use.Cf. bore v.¹ 5. ΚΠ 1873 Bell's Life in London 17 May 7/1 By bumping and boring Thunder..the ungenerous Tangible had his head in front until two strides from home. 1902 Country Life 26 Apr. 541/2 Vittel,..steered by little Griggs, won cleverly, after being bumped and bored all over the course by Russet. 1932 N. Mitford Christmas Pudding xvi. 232 If it's win only I might feel obliged to bump and bore a bit, otherwise I should probably sit tight and get a comfortable third. 1986 Times (Nexis) 27 Oct. One of the linesmen happened to be caught by the studs of Elliott, who was being bumped and bored as usual by the ebullient Fashanu. 2007 R. W. Hogarth Journey beyond Midnight 299 He turned and walked quickly away, bumping and boring into shoppers as he put distance between them. P2. Originally and chiefly Business and Finance. to bump along the bottom: to remain at a low point in performance or ranking, without improving or deteriorating further. Usually in to be bumping along the bottom. ΚΠ 1908 Mainly about People 18 Jan. 70/1 While it is very likely that the American market is now ‘bumping along the bottom’, it is not in a position..to steam away full speed ahead. 1950 E. Devons Planning in Pract. iii. 56 Because of changes that needed to be made.., [aircraft] production would merely bump along the bottom for some months. 1992 New Builder 13 Feb. 14/3 A clutch of statistics which point to an industry bumping along the bottom. 2014 Irish Mirror (Nexis) 7 Nov. It becomes harder to get angry and militant when a club you like is bumping along the bottom. P3. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). a. to bump pussies: (of two women) to engage in sexual activity, esp. tribadism, together. See pussy n. 3. ΚΠ 1963 J. Rechy City of Night iv. 310 The lay-ast thing in the world a queen wants is to make it with what turns out to be huh sistuh... It's..lak bumpin pussies. 1968 ‘A. D'Arcangelo’ Homosexual Handbk. 208 Two girls can..‘bump pussies’ as we used to say when I was a lad, and enjoy all the thrills and chills of intercourse. 1994 E. L. Harris Just as I Am (1995) 258 ‘I think they're bumping pussies,’ Kyle said. ‘You mean they're dykes?’ Kyle nodded his head. 2002 L. D. Brown Fire & Brimstone (2004) vi. 67 How they met and how many times they had bumped pussies. b. to bump uglies (also nasties): to have sexual intercourse (with a person). ΚΠ 1985 Newsweek 7 Oct. 88/1 If I just want to bump uglies with somebody, I got plenty of places to go. 1996 W. Gibson Idoru iii. 28 Somebody's still gotta get down in the trenches and bump uglies, right? 1999 Y. M. Murray What it takes to get to Vegas iii. 48 She had my blessing to go and bump nasties with Pedro anytime she liked. 2014 Sun (Nexis) 13 Mar. 18 [She] jotted down every star she had bumped uglies with—and it's quite the line-up. Phrasal verbs PV1. With adverbs in specialized senses. to bump off slang (originally U.S.). transitive. To kill; to murder. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > man-killing or homicide > murder or assassination > murder or assassinate [verb (transitive)] amurderOE murderc1175 homicidec1470 murdresc1480 murtrish1490 manquell1548 slaughter1582 massacre1591 assassinate1600 remove1609 assassin1620 to do the business for a person1759 Septembrize1794 croak1823 square1888 shift1898 to take out1900 to bump off1907 bump1914 to do in1914 to put out1917 to knock off1919 terminate1920 to give (a person) the works1929 scrag1930 snuff1932 wash1941 waste1964 wipe1968 to terminate with extreme prejudice1969 neutralize1970 snuff1973 stiff1974 1907 New Castle (Pa.) News 12 June 12/3 If he..were ‘bumped off’ a thousand more just as good could take his place. 1932 E. Waugh Black Mischief vii. 266 They had two shots at bumping me off yesterday. 1958 H. M. Hayward & M. Harari tr. B. Pasternak Dr. Zhivago i. vii. 212 A few were bumped off by way of example. 2013 A. Casale Bone Dragon (2014) 170 I wouldn't bother to bury Sonny Rawlins if I bumped him off. to bump up colloquial (originally U.S.). 1. transitive. To make larger, greater, or more numerous; to increase, to raise. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > increase rapidly or sharply balloon1901 to bump up1901 skyrocket1976 inflate1984 society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [verb (transitive)] > increase (prices) > suddenly to bump up1901 1901 Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Bee 20 Dec. 10/7 (advt.) Just long enough for the trust outfit to get together and bump up the prices. 1940 N. Mitford Pigeon Pie xii. 192 Olga bumps up his allowance every time he horsewhips anybody for making a pass at her. 1983 P. Dallas Ital. Wines (new ed.) iii. 70 When deciding whether a wine has the qualities to justify its being aged..it is not just a question of blithely bumping up the sugar and leaving it at that. 2015 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. A cash-and-stock deal..whose price was bumped up by $4 per share in cash on Monday. 2. transitive (often in passive). To move (a person) to a higher level or status; to promote from one group or position to another. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > career > have career [verb (transitive)] > promote or upgrade advancec1300 promote1402 to kick (someone) upstairs1678 upgrade1920 to bump up1957 1957 Assembly (Assoc. of Graduates, U.S. Milit. Acad.) Jan. 35/3 Since the last issue of the Assembly, two '38ers were promoted to BG and two were bumped up to MG. 1972 M. Kaye Lively Game of Death v. 23 We had our eye on him for a long time, just waiting for a chance to bump him up to executive level. 1999 M. A. Hennessy How to go almost Anywhere for almost Nothing i. i. 4 Much to my delight, I was ‘bumped up’ to business class on one crowded flight. 2011 C. Taylor Londoners 346 You've got the whole hierarchy [of barristers], Silks at the top..and..if you get Silk early, you get bumped up to the QCs. PV2. With prepositions in specialized senses. to bump into —— colloquial. intransitive. To encounter, meet by chance, come across. Cf. to run into —— 9b at run v. Phrasal verbs 2. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > meeting or encounter > meet or encounter [verb (transitive)] > coming from another direction (of person) meeteOE to come (also go, run, etc.) to meeta1325 nose1816 to bump into ——1894 1894 National Observer 19 May 15/2 Curious, ain't it,..how some men keep bumping into you as you are making tracks through life. 1948 Sunday Pict. 18 July 6/4 It was a delight to bump into him on one of the streets of Paramount Studios. 1958 E. Dundy Dud Avocado i. v. 82 What a mad coincidence bumping into John. 2010 New Yorker 20 Sept. 85/1 If you walk around with him on the Upper East Side, chances are he'll bump into wealthy friends. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bumpv.² Brit. /bʌmp/, U.S. /bəmp/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bump n.¹ Etymology: < bump n.¹ Compare bumping n.¹ and also boom v.¹ Now rare. intransitive. Of a bittern: to make its characteristic booming sound; to boom (see boom v.¹ 1a). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Ciconiiformes (storks, etc.) > [verb (intransitive)] > make sound (of bittern) bumblec1405 bump1646 1646 [implied in: Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. xxv. 173 A Bittor maketh that mugient noyse, or as we terme it Bumping. View more context for this quotation]. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. xiii. 310/2 The Bitter or Bitterne, Bumpeth, when he puts his..Bill in the Reeds. 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Wife of Bathe's Tale in Fables 486 As a Bittour bumps within a Reed. 1793 J. Leslie tr. Comte de Buffon Nat. Hist. Birds VII. 396 The Bittern is in season during the whole time that he bumps. 1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. x. 251 You shall hear the bittern bump. 1989 S. Lea Place in Mind v. 62 Bitterns bumped in the ditches. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bumpadv.int.² Brit. /bʌmp/, U.S. /bəmp/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bump v.¹ Etymology: < bump v.¹ With a bump; with a sudden collision. Also reduplicated and as int., indicating repeated impacts or a jolting manner of movement.things that go bump in the night: see thing n.¹ Phrases 18. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > [adverb] > with sudden impact swingc1400 dab1600 bump1724 spank1810 whop1812 the world > movement > impact > [adverb] > with repeated impact bump1863 1724 D. Defoe Tour Great Brit. I. iii. 119 They are sure, as the Sailors call it, to run Bump a Shore upon Scilly. 1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 12 Blood! didn't I tell you we were running bump ashore, and bid you set in the lee-brace, and haul upon a wind? 1806 R. Bloomfield Wild Flowers 41 Bump in his hat the shillings tumbl'd. 1863 C. Kingsley Water-babies i. 46 As he came bump, stump, jump, down the steep. 1926 A. A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh i. 1 Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head. 1978 P. Pears Diaries 22 Aug. (1999) 202 He was amiable & drove as all N. Yorkers do, bump bump over the appalling surface. 2003 N.Y. Post (Nexis) 16 Oct. 6 Many ferries have gone bump in the bay in the past. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.¹int.¹a1529n.²1533n.³1794v.¹1558v.²1646adv.int.²1724
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