bumpern.¹adj.

Brit.

/ˈbʌmpə/, U.S.

/ˈbəmpər/

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: bump v.¹, -er suffix¹.

Etymology: < bump v.¹ + -er suffix¹. Compare earlier bumping adj., also applied to objects of large size and to glasses used for alcoholic drinks.

A. n.¹

I. A person who or thing which bumps, and related senses.

a. A person who or thing which bumps someone or something (in various senses of bump v.¹). rare before 19th cent.Recorded earliest in belly-bumper n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race > specific type of crew member

passenger1852

bumper1887

sugarer1904

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Tape-couë, a taile-knocker, bellie-bumper, haire-beater, extreame lecher.

1737 J. Ozell in tr. F. Rabelais Wks. I. vi. 160 The knees..of her Belly-bumpers.

1859 A. L. Elwyn Gloss. Supposed Americanisms 26 There was no pain in the operation [of bumping new pupils], unless there was resistance, or some of the bumpers had a private animosity to gravity.

1887 C. C. Rhys Minora Carmina 267 Up at Oxford by eights on the Isis, The gloom of bumpees and of bumpers the glow.

1933 Manch. Guardian 5 Sept. 7/5 Results so mutually beneficial to bumper and bumpee.

1973 Materials & Technol. VI. vii. 472 The garments in the cleaning solution are beaten by falling wooden ‘bumpers’.

2015 C. Broughton Boom, Bust, Exodus i. 15 Another buddy..with even more seniority bumped the original bumper to get the nickel-more-an-hour job on the air-conditioning line.

b. A machine designed to deliver an impact in the course of some process; (Bookbinding) a machine for compressing book blocks between iron plates (cf. smasher n.¹ 3). Also: a person who operates such a machine. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > worker performing process or spec. task > [noun] > workers performing other tasks or processes

river?c1475

melter1511

sinker1526

folder up1552

wiper1552

scourer1574

heaver1587

stoverc1600

rasper1611

ripper1611

roller1616

smearer1632

waterleadera1650

scooper1668

smiter1670

puncher1681

staker1688

crusher1794

hardener1796

reamer1822

piledriver1826

catcher1832

waterproofer1837

middler1847

culler1850

hanger-on1858

pitcher1865

bumper1871

fine liner1871

bricksetter1883

waxer1890

bottle-oh1898

edger1909

bottle-o-er1915

caster1921

recycler1970

linesperson1973

society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > bookbinding equipment > [noun] > machines

arming press1832

smasher1876

smashing-machinea1877

backing-machine1879

sewing machine1880

wire-stitcher1882

bumper1951

smashing-press-

1871 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1869–70 8 247 He uses the wheelbarrow curculio bumper, his own invention.

?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 43 Rocker or Bumper.

1915 F. D. Jones Diemaking & Die Design vii. 282 The mechanically operated knockout..applied to a punch press..operates more satisfactorily than a rubber bumper.

1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §409 Bumper, a planker who operates a bumping machine; places felt forms in a sort of trough, sets machine in motion, so that forms are bumped about against arms of machine.

1951 S. Jennett Making of Bks. xi. 171 The machine appropriately called the smasher or the bumper..is in effect an automatic clamp.

a. North American. A buffer on a railway vehicle or at the end of a railway line.

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society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > other parts

centre plate1717

bumper1838

running-board1858

bonnet1889

bull bar1891

possum belly1904

tailgate1909

1838 Amer Railroad Jrnl. 1 Nov. 266 To keep the Cars in a regular motion each way, and do away with the bumpers, so called, to save much cost and expense.

1864 Sanitary Comm. U.S. Army 110 (note) The ‘bumper’ is surrounded by a stiff spring, which prevents the communication of the jar.

1933 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 2 Sept. 3/7 The bumper of the train was badly damaged.

1957 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-Times 24 Apr. 1/3 The speedcar, mangled under the train's bumper, was carried along the tracks.

1967 A. MacLean Where Eagles Dare v. 107 They ran along the tracks till they came to the bumpers at the end of the line.

2007 Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 14 July (Iowa Today section) 2 b/4 He'd be struck on the bumper of the train I think.

b. A shock-absorbing attachment or apparatus on a ship, vehicle, etc. Now chiefly: a horizontal bar attached to either end of a motor vehicle to reduce damage in a collision, or to serve as decoration.

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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > parts and equipment of vehicles generally > [noun] > other parts

body bolt1810

safety chain1832

footplate1833

aisle1835

headlining1848

bumper1867

floor-plate1869

tension bar1879

suicide door1960

bull bar1967

roo bar1973

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > body or bodywork > bumper

bumper bar1862

fender1919

bumper1959

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 144 Bumpers, logs of wood placed over a ship's side to keep off ice.

1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 38 Bumpers,..projecting blocks of wood attached to pump spears for preventing damage in case of a break down.

1901 Law Times 11 May 29/2 An elevator car..passed downward until it struck the bumpers at the bottom of the shaft.

1928 Punch 25 Apr. p. xxxiii (advt.) ‘The Bumper with the Leaf Spring Buffer.’ This unique and ingenious feature evenly distributes and reduces the shock of an impact.

1959 Motor 21 Oct. 346/2 Lights..repositioned behind the front bumper.

2015 New Yorker 4 May 51/3 The Pinto's gas tank..was separated from the back bumper by only a few inches of ‘crush space.’

c. Broadcasting. A short announcement, ident (ident n. 2), etc., used to mark the transition from a programme to a commercial break or other feature. Frequently as the second element in compounds.

ΚΠ

1979 N.Y. Times 9 May c17/5 Next fall the network will institute five-second bumpers to separate program content from commercials.

1991 Media Week 25 Jan. 8/1 Rumbelows will get exclusive sponsorship with opening and closing titles, and on-screen credits on break bumpers and trailers.

2014 S. Annett Anime Fan Communities iii. 77 The function of the bumper is simple. It acts like a punctuation mark, a comma in the grammar of television.

3. Cricket. A fast, short-pitched ball that rises sharply; = bouncer n. 6. Cf. bump v.¹ 8a.

ΘΚΠ

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

full toss1826

long hop1830

twister1832

bail ball1833

bailer1833

grubber1837

slow ball1838

wide1838

ground ball1839

shooter1843

slower ball1846

twiddler1847

creeper1848

lob1851

sneak1851

sneaker1851

slow1854

bumper1855

teaser1856

daisy-cutter1857

popper1857

yorker1861

sharpshooter1863

headball1866

screwball1866

underhand1866

skimmerc1868

grub1870

ramrod1870

raymonder1870

round-armer1871

grass cutter1876

short pitch1877

leg break1878

lob ball1880

off-break1883

donkey-drop1888

tice1888

fast break1889

leg-breaker1892

kicker1894

spinner1895

wrong 'un1897

googly1903

fizzer1904

dolly1906

short ball1911

wrong 'un1911

bosie1912

bouncer1913

flyer1913

percher1913

finger-spinner1920

inswinger1920

outswinger1920

swinger1920

off-spinner1924

away swinger1925

Chinaman1929

overspinner1930

tweaker1938

riser1944

leg-cutter1949

seamer1952

leggy1954

off-cutter1955

squatter1955

flipper1959

lifter1959

cutter1960

beamer1961

loosener1962

doosra1999

1855 Bell's Life in London 3 June 6/2 A bumper from the little man cut short his career.

1904 Westm. Gaz. 24 May 3/2 With the likelihood of..an occasional ‘bumper’ even such great batsmen..might have failed.

1955 Times 30 Aug. 3/2 Heine bowled a number of rude, honest bumpers.

2013 Cricketer Sept. 80/4 My job would be to..bowl a bumper to close out the over.

†4. Mining. A counterweight attached to a cage. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > a counterbalance > object used as

again-weight1340

counterpoisec1430

counterweight1768

compensation-balance1805

compensation-pendulum1807

compensating-pendulum1819

compensator1837

bumper1868

counterbalance1875

1868 W. Fairley Gloss. Terms Coal-mining-districts ii. 5 Bumper,..a massive piece of iron, so heavy that when the cage is at the bottom of the cut, it will draw it empty to the top, and when the cage at the top is laden, it will act as a balance as the cage descends.

a. Irish English. colloquial (somewhat depreciative). An amateur rider in a horse race. Now only in compounds (see Compounds 2).Probably so called because such riders are more likely to bump in the saddle, or to bump into other horses inadvertently, than professional jockeys.

ΚΠ

1900 Cork Examiner 11 July 3/8 It is usually dangerous betting at the Bibury Club meeting—especially events where the ‘bumpers’ figure in the saddle.

1911 Kildare Observer 20 May 8/2 The jockeys can now ride in the Corinthian races at the Phoenix Park meetings by carrying 7lbs. extra. Exit a number of gentlemen ‘bumpers’.

1923 Irish Times 22 Dec. 10/1 Amateur riders..are so universally sneered at. It is not so long ago that both Captain Bennett and Major Doyle were derided as bumpers.

b. Horse Racing (originally Irish English). A flat race run under National Hunt rules, designed to give competitive experience to novice horses destined for steeplechase and hurdle racing.Originally in plural in same sense and short for bumpers' race; see Compounds 2.

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

wild-goose race1594

wild goose chase1597

bell-course1607

Palio1673

stake1696

paddock course1705

handicap1751

by-match1759

pony race1765

give and take plate1769

sweepstake1773

steeplechase1793

mile-heat1802

steeple race1809

welter1820

trotting-race1822

scurry1824

walkover1829

steeple hunt1831

set-to1840

sky race1840

flat race1848

trot1856

grind1857

feeler1858

nursery1860

waiting race1868

horse-trot1882

selling plate1888

flying milea1893

chase1894

flying handicap1894

prep1894

selling race1898

point-to-point1902

seller1922

shoo-in1928

daily double1930

bumper1946

selling chase1965

tiercé1981

1946 Irish Times 30 Jan. 4 St. Eloy was backed to win a small fortune at a previous meeting here and I see he is engaged in the ‘bumpers’.

1954 Irish Times 20 Aug. 2/1 In the ‘bumpers’, Richardstown drew clear in the last half-mile, to win at a canter.

1982 Sporting Life 5 Apr. 7/1 Restless Shot looked a world-beater when he won a bumpers' at Warwick two years ago.

2005 Independent 14 Dec. (Property section) 8/2 At Worcester a woman told me that sponsoring the day's feature race costs £1,500, but that the ‘bumper,’ the least significant race on the card, costs only £300.

II. Senses relating to fullness, abundance, and similar concepts.

6. A cup or glass of alcoholic drink filled to the brim, esp. for a toast.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > amount of drink > brimming

brimmer1663

bumper?1670

swimmer1682

brusher1699

bumper toast1756

bumper dram1818

tip-topper1822

?1670 Saint turn'd Sinner (single sheet) A Gospel Cushion thumper, Who dearly lov'd a Bumper.

1730 H. Fielding Rape upon Rape iv. vii. 55 But come, since you are to be hanged, I'll drink one Bumper to your good Journey to the other World.

1774 O. Goldsmith Retaliation 127 He cherish'd his friend, and he relish'd a bumper.

1831 Amer. Monthly Mag. (Boston) Mar. 835 A bumper, gentlemen,..brim your beakers, my friends.

1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xiii. 151 A dinner of marled beef..and a bumper of champagne all round.

1927 ‘A. A. Horn’ & E. Lewis Trader Horn xxvi. 289 We drank bumpers one after another to the success of the happy pair.

1958 T. H. White Once & Future King ii. ix. 286 They took away his pen and poured him several bumpers of usquebaugh.

2005 J. Banville Sea 200 Most nights I drink myself to sleep..with half a dozen bumpers of brandy.

a. colloquial. Anything unusually large, abundant, or excellent. Cf. whopper n., whacker n., thumper n., etc.Now usually in attributive use, in which it is reanalysed as an adjective: see sense B.

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the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > abundance > [noun] > an abundance

plentya1250

foison13..

abundance1340

copyc1375

fultha1400

plentya1425

murth?a1450

store1471

sonsea1500

banquet?1507

fouth1535

choice1584

horn of plenty (also abundancec1595

wealth1596

cornucopia1611

rifea1614

copia1713

bumper1759

beaucoup1760

lashings1829

plethora1835

any amount (of)1848

in galore1848

opulence1878

binder1881

lushing1890

1759 Gentleman's Mag. June 271/2 In some of the midland counties, any thing large is called a bumper, as a large apple, or pear.

1800 R. Bisset Douglas III. 283 Only night I lost half-a-guinea at half-crown whist... I really lost a bumper.

1859 J. Lang Wanderings in India 9 Tellwell and Long..have just lost a bumper—twenty-seven gold mohurs.

1864 G. F. Berkeley My Life & Recoll. I. 182 The country was immensely deep and the brook a bumper.

1906 Baily's Mag. Jan. 39/1 V. A. Titchmarsh,..nowadays one of the most reliable umpires, takes his turn on June 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and we wish him a bumper.

2015 Bega District News (New S. Wales) (Nexis) 11 Mar. We have had a real bumper of an extended summer season, the warm days keep on rolling on.

†b. Theatre slang. A very large audience; a full or crowded ‘house’. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > theatregoer > [noun] > theatre audience > large or capacity

bumper1789

capacity1908

1789 J. B. Watson Let. 25 Aug. in M. Wells Mem. Life Mrs. Sumbel (1811) III. 144 Her benefit, at Gloster, which, if a bumper, in every and the truest sense will be no more than I most cordially wish it.

1795 T. Wilkinson Wandering Patentee IV. 36 A bumper of a house.

1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xxiv. 231 This charming actress will be greeted with a bumper.

1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 2 Aug. 3/2 I have heard a crowded house on a benefit night called ‘a bumper’.

†c. Whist. A rubber won without one's opponents scoring any points. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > whist > [noun] > actions or tactics > tricks or taking tricks

odd trick1710

slam1755

bumper1791

sweep1879

1791 J. Woodforde Diary 13 July (1927) III. 285 We played two Rubbers, we got the first which was a Bumper, they never scoring one.

1846 W. Hughes Three Students I. xv. 256 We only [have] the odd trick to get to win a bumper.

1880 W. Besant & J. Rice Seamy Side in Time II. 717 After seeing a double bumper fooled away, his partner rose in silent dignity and left the house.

1910 Illustr. Sporting & Dramatic News 23 July 894/1 If he could stand the loss of a ‘bumper’ he could safely cut it again, no matter how badly the luck had been going against him.

B. adj. (attributive).

Designating something which is exceptionally large, abundant, or excellent. Cf. sense A. 7.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > abundance > [adjective]

goodeOE

broadOE

fullOE

large?c1225

rifec1225

fulsomea1325

abundanta1382

plenteousa1382

copiousc1384

plentifula1400

ranka1400

aboundc1425

affluentc1425

aboundable?1440

seedy1440

manyfulc1450

ample1472

olda1500

richa1500

flowing1526

fertilent1535

wallingc1540

copy1546

abounding1560

fat1563

numbrous1566

good, great store1569

round1592

redundant1594

fruitful1604

cornucopian1609

much1609

plenty?a1610

pukka1619

redundant1621

uberant1622

swelling1628

uberous1633

numerousa1635

superfluent1648

full tide1649

lucky1649

redounding1667

numerose1692

bumper1836

prolific1890

proliferous1915

1836 Kelso Mail 15 Aug. Grouse shooting commenced on Friday, and..the birds have seldom been known to be so strong and numerous; they are, in fact, a bumper crop.

1898 Westm. Gaz. 18 Nov. 8/1 The past fortnight's bumper traffic.

1908 Daily Chron. 8 Jan. 4/4 So far as the foreign trade of this country is concerned, 1907 was a bumper year.

1955 Times 22 June 9/6 Instead of an expected crop of 600,000 bags there was a bumper crop of 1,400,000 bags.

2011 Z. Strachan Ever fallen in Love 141 We've just bought a bumper pack of Hobnobs.

Compounds

C1. General attributive (in sense A. 6).

bumper dram n. rare

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > amount of drink > brimming

brimmer1663

bumper?1670

swimmer1682

brusher1699

bumper toast1756

bumper dram1818

tip-topper1822

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iv, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 110 Taking their meridian (a bumper-dram of brandy).

1994 Daily Record (Nexis) 1 Oct. 16 Prince Charles downed a bumper dram in a oner during his visit to a Highland village yesterday.

bumper glass n.

ΚΠ

1718 G. Jacob Misc. Poems 24 Briskly anew the Bumper Glass pursu'd.

1851 F. M. Trollope Mrs. Mathews I. iii. 33 Accompanied as usual by three bumper glasses of wine.

1905 A. L. Simon Hist. Champagne Trade in Eng. iv. 51 Bumper glasses were the rule, and you were expected to fill the glass whenever the bottle came round.

2005 Express (Scottish ed.) (Nexis) 12 July 17 I was swirling a bumper glass of chilled Sancerre out in the sunken garden.

bumper toast n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > amount of drink > brimming

brimmer1663

bumper?1670

swimmer1682

brusher1699

bumper toast1756

bumper dram1818

tip-topper1822

1756 F. Greville & F. Greville Maxims, Characters, & Refl. 178 Being asked for my bumper-toast; Sir, said I, if you please I'll give you honest Mr. Minucius.

1839 J. G. Lockhart Ballantyne-humbug Handled 99 Few will doubt that he did..pledge with hearty zeal many a bumper-toast.

1999 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 27 Sept. 6 I..will have a bumper toast to the man who was born 2,000 years ago.

C2. Horse Racing (originally Irish English). In the genitive and attributive (in singular and plural), designating a flat race run under National Hunt rules, or a horse that runs in such races. See sense A. 5.

ΚΠ

1925 Irish Times 8 Aug. 12/1 Certain critics who have never ridden anything more exciting than a donkey on Margate Sands have a habit of referring to these events as ‘bumpers' races’.

1946 Irish Times 7 Dec. 2/3 Dymoke, winner of a bumper's race over the course, will likely be the choice of the majority.

1965 Times 6 July 3/5 Dolgelley is owned by Mr. R. L. Kemp, whose son rode her to victory in a bumper race at Birmingham in May.

1986 Horse & Hound 18 Apr. 62/2 He is a lovely horse and definitely has a future over obstacles, although he will be campaigning in two more bumpers contests before racing on the flat this summer.

2014 Daily Tel. 12 Mar. (Sport section) 11/7 Definitely Red looks one of the better bumper horses from Britain.

C3.

bumper bar n. a buffer or shock-absorbing apparatus on a vehicle; cf. sense A. 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > body or bodywork > bumper

bumper bar1862

fender1919

bumper1959

1862 H. A. Smead & C. H. Huntly U.S. Patent 35,399 1/1 The bumper-bar is composed of the top and bottom plates.., and the jaws.

1926 Morris Owner Feb. 1600/2 The front face of the bumper bar is attractively finished in bright nickel plate.

2012 C. Stroud Niceville 28 He'll use those bumper bars on your off-side taillight.

bumper boat n. originally North American a boat designed to bump against other objects; spec. (chiefly in plural) a small boat steered around an enclosure with others as part of a fairground amusement; cf. bumper car n.

ΚΠ

1958 MacGregor (Manitoba) Herald 26 June 8 The lumberjack..now rides his outboard-powered circular bumper-boat to nudge the log booms into formation.

1983 Skiing Spring 98/2 You name it, they do it here: bumper boats, rollerskating [etc.].

2013 J. Futrell Waldameer Park 88/2 Waldameer Park replaced its kiddie turnpike ride with the bumper boats. Like bumper cars on water, it provided a cooling ride on a hot summer day.

bumper car n. a small electrically-powered car with rubber bumpers all round, driven in an enclosure at an amusement park, etc., with the aim of bumping into other such cars and avoiding bumps from them; = Dodgem n.The usual term in North America.

ΘΚΠ

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

bump car1937

bumper car1938

1924 Washington Post 21 July 11/4 There are 25 of the rubber bumper cars dashing over 10,000 feet of steel flooring.]

1938 Illustr. London News 13 Aug. 298/1 (caption) Riding in a ‘bumper car’.

1960 New Left Rev. Jan. 52/1 Going to a fair to ride on the bumper cars.

2007 Telegram & Gaz. (Worcester, Mass.) (Nexis) 7 Nov. a1 Many who have enjoyed a ride on a bumper car probably never realized they were subjecting themselves to Newton's third law of motion.

bumper sticker n. (a) a sticker featuring a slogan or advertisement, designed to be displayed on the bumper of a motor vehicle; (b) attributive designating or characteristic of a slogan found on a bumper sticker; (hence) glibly expressed, clichéd, or simplistic.

ΚΠ

1948 Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News 25 Apr. 7/2 The Jaycees plan distribution of..windshield and bumper stickers..on the new Texas uniform traffic act.

1957 Bradford (Pa.) Era 23 May 3/1 4,000 automobiles..will be sporting the..safe driving bumper sticker slogan, ‘Submerge Jet Urge.’

1970 Boston Globe 26 Mar. 20 (heading) Bumper sticker rhetoric from Nixon.

1993 Time Out 31 Mar. 108/4 Robert's style is a mixture of bumper-sticker platitudes and half-baked poetical allusions.

2008 E. Strout Olive Kitteredge 91 He saw a dented Volvo parked in her driveway; it was covered with bumper stickers.

bumper timber n. (a piece of) timber used as a bumper (sense A. 2b); spec. one mounted on the front of a railway locomotive, to which the cowcatcher is attached (now chiefly historical).

ΚΠ

1874 Railroad Gaz. 27 June 245/3 Bumper timber.

1909 G. L. Fowler Locomotive Dict. (new ed.) 78/1 Safety chain, a chain fastened to each of the forward corners of a locomotive truck and to the bumper timber to prevent the truck from turning in case of derailment.

1970 News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 3 Mar. 23/3 Ice has pulled on bumper timber forcing the docks to splinter over the pilings.

2007 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 25 Mar. c6/1 The bumper timber passed within an inch of his head as he..drew Chezem onto the platform.

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

单词	bumper
释义	bumpern.¹adj. Brit. /ˈbʌmpə/, U.S. /ˈbəmpər/ Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: bump v.¹, -er suffix¹. Etymology: < bump v.¹ + -er suffix¹. Compare earlier bumping adj., also applied to objects of large size and to glasses used for alcoholic drinks. A. n.¹ I. A person who or thing which bumps, and related senses. 1. a. A person who or thing which bumps someone or something (in various senses of bump v.¹). rare before 19th cent.Recorded earliest in belly-bumper n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > boat racing or race > [noun] > types of rowing race > specific type of crew member passenger1852 bumper1887 sugarer1904 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Tape-couë, a taile-knocker, bellie-bumper, haire-beater, extreame lecher. 1737 J. Ozell in tr. F. Rabelais Wks. I. vi. 160 The knees..of her Belly-bumpers. 1859 A. L. Elwyn Gloss. Supposed Americanisms 26 There was no pain in the operation [of bumping new pupils], unless there was resistance, or some of the bumpers had a private animosity to gravity. 1887 C. C. Rhys Minora Carmina 267 Up at Oxford by eights on the Isis, The gloom of bumpees and of bumpers the glow. 1933 Manch. Guardian 5 Sept. 7/5 Results so mutually beneficial to bumper and bumpee. 1973 Materials & Technol. VI. vii. 472 The garments in the cleaning solution are beaten by falling wooden ‘bumpers’. 2015 C. Broughton Boom, Bust, Exodus i. 15 Another buddy..with even more seniority bumped the original bumper to get the nickel-more-an-hour job on the air-conditioning line. b. A machine designed to deliver an impact in the course of some process; (Bookbinding) a machine for compressing book blocks between iron plates (cf. smasher n.¹ 3). Also: a person who operates such a machine. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > worker performing process or spec. task > [noun] > workers performing other tasks or processes river?c1475 melter1511 sinker1526 folder up1552 wiper1552 scourer1574 heaver1587 stoverc1600 rasper1611 ripper1611 roller1616 smearer1632 waterleadera1650 scooper1668 smiter1670 puncher1681 staker1688 crusher1794 hardener1796 reamer1822 piledriver1826 catcher1832 waterproofer1837 middler1847 culler1850 hanger-on1858 pitcher1865 bumper1871 fine liner1871 bricksetter1883 waxer1890 bottle-oh1898 edger1909 bottle-o-er1915 caster1921 recycler1970 linesperson1973 society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > bookbinding equipment > [noun] > machines arming press1832 smasher1876 smashing-machinea1877 backing-machine1879 sewing machine1880 wire-stitcher1882 bumper1951 smashing-press- 1871 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1869–70 8 247 He uses the wheelbarrow curculio bumper, his own invention. ?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 43 Rocker or Bumper. 1915 F. D. Jones Diemaking & Die Design vii. 282 The mechanically operated knockout..applied to a punch press..operates more satisfactorily than a rubber bumper. 1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §409 Bumper, a planker who operates a bumping machine; places felt forms in a sort of trough, sets machine in motion, so that forms are bumped about against arms of machine. 1951 S. Jennett Making of Bks. xi. 171 The machine appropriately called the smasher or the bumper..is in effect an automatic clamp. 2. a. North American. A buffer on a railway vehicle or at the end of a railway line. ΘΚΠ society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > other parts centre plate1717 bumper1838 running-board1858 bonnet1889 bull bar1891 possum belly1904 tailgate1909 1838 Amer Railroad Jrnl. 1 Nov. 266 To keep the Cars in a regular motion each way, and do away with the bumpers, so called, to save much cost and expense. 1864 Sanitary Comm. U.S. Army 110 (note) The ‘bumper’ is surrounded by a stiff spring, which prevents the communication of the jar. 1933 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 2 Sept. 3/7 The bumper of the train was badly damaged. 1957 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-Times 24 Apr. 1/3 The speedcar, mangled under the train's bumper, was carried along the tracks. 1967 A. MacLean Where Eagles Dare v. 107 They ran along the tracks till they came to the bumpers at the end of the line. 2007 Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 14 July (Iowa Today section) 2 b/4 He'd be struck on the bumper of the train I think. b. A shock-absorbing attachment or apparatus on a ship, vehicle, etc. Now chiefly: a horizontal bar attached to either end of a motor vehicle to reduce damage in a collision, or to serve as decoration. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > parts and equipment of vehicles generally > [noun] > other parts body bolt1810 safety chain1832 footplate1833 aisle1835 headlining1848 bumper1867 floor-plate1869 tension bar1879 suicide door1960 bull bar1967 roo bar1973 society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > body or bodywork > bumper bumper bar1862 fender1919 bumper1959 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 144 Bumpers, logs of wood placed over a ship's side to keep off ice. 1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 38 Bumpers,..projecting blocks of wood attached to pump spears for preventing damage in case of a break down. 1901 Law Times 11 May 29/2 An elevator car..passed downward until it struck the bumpers at the bottom of the shaft. 1928 Punch 25 Apr. p. xxxiii (advt.) ‘The Bumper with the Leaf Spring Buffer.’ This unique and ingenious feature evenly distributes and reduces the shock of an impact. 1959 Motor 21 Oct. 346/2 Lights..repositioned behind the front bumper. 2015 New Yorker 4 May 51/3 The Pinto's gas tank..was separated from the back bumper by only a few inches of ‘crush space.’ c. Broadcasting. A short announcement, ident (ident n. 2), etc., used to mark the transition from a programme to a commercial break or other feature. Frequently as the second element in compounds. ΚΠ 1979 N.Y. Times 9 May c17/5 Next fall the network will institute five-second bumpers to separate program content from commercials. 1991 Media Week 25 Jan. 8/1 Rumbelows will get exclusive sponsorship with opening and closing titles, and on-screen credits on break bumpers and trailers. 2014 S. Annett Anime Fan Communities iii. 77 The function of the bumper is simple. It acts like a punctuation mark, a comma in the grammar of television. 3. Cricket. A fast, short-pitched ball that rises sharply; = bouncer n. 6. Cf. bump v.¹ 8a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > [noun] > a ball bowled > types of delivery or ball full toss1826 long hop1830 twister1832 bail ball1833 bailer1833 grubber1837 slow ball1838 wide1838 ground ball1839 shooter1843 slower ball1846 twiddler1847 creeper1848 lob1851 sneak1851 sneaker1851 slow1854 bumper1855 teaser1856 daisy-cutter1857 popper1857 yorker1861 sharpshooter1863 headball1866 screwball1866 underhand1866 skimmerc1868 grub1870 ramrod1870 raymonder1870 round-armer1871 grass cutter1876 short pitch1877 leg break1878 lob ball1880 off-break1883 donkey-drop1888 tice1888 fast break1889 leg-breaker1892 kicker1894 spinner1895 wrong 'un1897 googly1903 fizzer1904 dolly1906 short ball1911 wrong 'un1911 bosie1912 bouncer1913 flyer1913 percher1913 finger-spinner1920 inswinger1920 outswinger1920 swinger1920 off-spinner1924 away swinger1925 Chinaman1929 overspinner1930 tweaker1938 riser1944 leg-cutter1949 seamer1952 leggy1954 off-cutter1955 squatter1955 flipper1959 lifter1959 cutter1960 beamer1961 loosener1962 doosra1999 1855 Bell's Life in London 3 June 6/2 A bumper from the little man cut short his career. 1904 Westm. Gaz. 24 May 3/2 With the likelihood of..an occasional ‘bumper’ even such great batsmen..might have failed. 1955 Times 30 Aug. 3/2 Heine bowled a number of rude, honest bumpers. 2013 Cricketer Sept. 80/4 My job would be to..bowl a bumper to close out the over. †4. Mining. A counterweight attached to a cage. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > a counterbalance > object used as again-weight1340 counterpoisec1430 counterweight1768 compensation-balance1805 compensation-pendulum1807 compensating-pendulum1819 compensator1837 bumper1868 counterbalance1875 1868 W. Fairley Gloss. Terms Coal-mining-districts ii. 5 Bumper,..a massive piece of iron, so heavy that when the cage is at the bottom of the cut, it will draw it empty to the top, and when the cage at the top is laden, it will act as a balance as the cage descends. 5. a. Irish English. colloquial (somewhat depreciative). An amateur rider in a horse race. Now only in compounds (see Compounds 2).Probably so called because such riders are more likely to bump in the saddle, or to bump into other horses inadvertently, than professional jockeys. ΚΠ 1900 Cork Examiner 11 July 3/8 It is usually dangerous betting at the Bibury Club meeting—especially events where the ‘bumpers’ figure in the saddle. 1911 Kildare Observer 20 May 8/2 The jockeys can now ride in the Corinthian races at the Phoenix Park meetings by carrying 7lbs. extra. Exit a number of gentlemen ‘bumpers’. 1923 Irish Times 22 Dec. 10/1 Amateur riders..are so universally sneered at. It is not so long ago that both Captain Bennett and Major Doyle were derided as bumpers. b. Horse Racing (originally Irish English). A flat race run under National Hunt rules, designed to give competitive experience to novice horses destined for steeplechase and hurdle racing.Originally in plural in same sense and short for bumpers' race; see Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > types of racing > types of race wild-goose race1594 wild goose chase1597 bell-course1607 Palio1673 stake1696 paddock course1705 handicap1751 by-match1759 pony race1765 give and take plate1769 sweepstake1773 steeplechase1793 mile-heat1802 steeple race1809 welter1820 trotting-race1822 scurry1824 walkover1829 steeple hunt1831 set-to1840 sky race1840 flat race1848 trot1856 grind1857 feeler1858 nursery1860 waiting race1868 horse-trot1882 selling plate1888 flying milea1893 chase1894 flying handicap1894 prep1894 selling race1898 point-to-point1902 seller1922 shoo-in1928 daily double1930 bumper1946 selling chase1965 tiercé1981 1946 Irish Times 30 Jan. 4 St. Eloy was backed to win a small fortune at a previous meeting here and I see he is engaged in the ‘bumpers’. 1954 Irish Times 20 Aug. 2/1 In the ‘bumpers’, Richardstown drew clear in the last half-mile, to win at a canter. 1982 Sporting Life 5 Apr. 7/1 Restless Shot looked a world-beater when he won a bumpers' at Warwick two years ago. 2005 Independent 14 Dec. (Property section) 8/2 At Worcester a woman told me that sponsoring the day's feature race costs £1,500, but that the ‘bumper,’ the least significant race on the card, costs only £300. II. Senses relating to fullness, abundance, and similar concepts. 6. A cup or glass of alcoholic drink filled to the brim, esp. for a toast. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > amount of drink > brimming brimmer1663 bumper?1670 swimmer1682 brusher1699 bumper toast1756 bumper dram1818 tip-topper1822 ?1670 Saint turn'd Sinner (single sheet) A Gospel Cushion thumper, Who dearly lov'd a Bumper. 1730 H. Fielding Rape upon Rape iv. vii. 55 But come, since you are to be hanged, I'll drink one Bumper to your good Journey to the other World. 1774 O. Goldsmith Retaliation 127 He cherish'd his friend, and he relish'd a bumper. 1831 Amer. Monthly Mag. (Boston) Mar. 835 A bumper, gentlemen,..brim your beakers, my friends. 1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xiii. 151 A dinner of marled beef..and a bumper of champagne all round. 1927 ‘A. A. Horn’ & E. Lewis Trader Horn xxvi. 289 We drank bumpers one after another to the success of the happy pair. 1958 T. H. White Once & Future King ii. ix. 286 They took away his pen and poured him several bumpers of usquebaugh. 2005 J. Banville Sea 200 Most nights I drink myself to sleep..with half a dozen bumpers of brandy. 7. a. colloquial. Anything unusually large, abundant, or excellent. Cf. whopper n., whacker n., thumper n., etc.Now usually in attributive use, in which it is reanalysed as an adjective: see sense B. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > abundance > [noun] > an abundance plentya1250 foison13.. abundance1340 copyc1375 fultha1400 plentya1425 murth?a1450 store1471 sonsea1500 banquet?1507 fouth1535 choice1584 horn of plenty (also abundancec1595 wealth1596 cornucopia1611 rifea1614 copia1713 bumper1759 beaucoup1760 lashings1829 plethora1835 any amount (of)1848 in galore1848 opulence1878 binder1881 lushing1890 1759 Gentleman's Mag. June 271/2 In some of the midland counties, any thing large is called a bumper, as a large apple, or pear. 1800 R. Bisset Douglas III. 283 Only night I lost half-a-guinea at half-crown whist... I really lost a bumper. 1859 J. Lang Wanderings in India 9 Tellwell and Long..have just lost a bumper—twenty-seven gold mohurs. 1864 G. F. Berkeley My Life & Recoll. I. 182 The country was immensely deep and the brook a bumper. 1906 Baily's Mag. Jan. 39/1 V. A. Titchmarsh,..nowadays one of the most reliable umpires, takes his turn on June 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and we wish him a bumper. 2015 Bega District News (New S. Wales) (Nexis) 11 Mar. We have had a real bumper of an extended summer season, the warm days keep on rolling on. †b. Theatre slang. A very large audience; a full or crowded ‘house’. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > theatregoer > [noun] > theatre audience > large or capacity bumper1789 capacity1908 1789 J. B. Watson Let. 25 Aug. in M. Wells Mem. Life Mrs. Sumbel (1811) III. 144 Her benefit, at Gloster, which, if a bumper, in every and the truest sense will be no more than I most cordially wish it. 1795 T. Wilkinson Wandering Patentee IV. 36 A bumper of a house. 1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xxiv. 231 This charming actress will be greeted with a bumper. 1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 2 Aug. 3/2 I have heard a crowded house on a benefit night called ‘a bumper’. †c. Whist. A rubber won without one's opponents scoring any points. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > whist > [noun] > actions or tactics > tricks or taking tricks odd trick1710 slam1755 bumper1791 sweep1879 1791 J. Woodforde Diary 13 July (1927) III. 285 We played two Rubbers, we got the first which was a Bumper, they never scoring one. 1846 W. Hughes Three Students I. xv. 256 We only [have] the odd trick to get to win a bumper. 1880 W. Besant & J. Rice Seamy Side in Time II. 717 After seeing a double bumper fooled away, his partner rose in silent dignity and left the house. 1910 Illustr. Sporting & Dramatic News 23 July 894/1 If he could stand the loss of a ‘bumper’ he could safely cut it again, no matter how badly the luck had been going against him. B. adj. (attributive). Designating something which is exceptionally large, abundant, or excellent. Cf. sense A. 7. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > abundance > [adjective] goodeOE broadOE fullOE large?c1225 rifec1225 fulsomea1325 abundanta1382 plenteousa1382 copiousc1384 plentifula1400 ranka1400 aboundc1425 affluentc1425 aboundable?1440 seedy1440 manyfulc1450 ample1472 olda1500 richa1500 flowing1526 fertilent1535 wallingc1540 copy1546 abounding1560 fat1563 numbrous1566 good, great store1569 round1592 redundant1594 fruitful1604 cornucopian1609 much1609 plenty?a1610 pukka1619 redundant1621 uberant1622 swelling1628 uberous1633 numerousa1635 superfluent1648 full tide1649 lucky1649 redounding1667 numerose1692 bumper1836 prolific1890 proliferous1915 1836 Kelso Mail 15 Aug. Grouse shooting commenced on Friday, and..the birds have seldom been known to be so strong and numerous; they are, in fact, a bumper crop. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 18 Nov. 8/1 The past fortnight's bumper traffic. 1908 Daily Chron. 8 Jan. 4/4 So far as the foreign trade of this country is concerned, 1907 was a bumper year. 1955 Times 22 June 9/6 Instead of an expected crop of 600,000 bags there was a bumper crop of 1,400,000 bags. 2011 Z. Strachan Ever fallen in Love 141 We've just bought a bumper pack of Hobnobs. Compounds C1. General attributive (in sense A. 6). bumper dram n. rare ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > amount of drink > brimming brimmer1663 bumper?1670 swimmer1682 brusher1699 bumper toast1756 bumper dram1818 tip-topper1822 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iv, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 110 Taking their meridian (a bumper-dram of brandy). 1994 Daily Record (Nexis) 1 Oct. 16 Prince Charles downed a bumper dram in a oner during his visit to a Highland village yesterday. bumper glass n. ΚΠ 1718 G. Jacob Misc. Poems 24 Briskly anew the Bumper Glass pursu'd. 1851 F. M. Trollope Mrs. Mathews I. iii. 33 Accompanied as usual by three bumper glasses of wine. 1905 A. L. Simon Hist. Champagne Trade in Eng. iv. 51 Bumper glasses were the rule, and you were expected to fill the glass whenever the bottle came round. 2005 Express (Scottish ed.) (Nexis) 12 July 17 I was swirling a bumper glass of chilled Sancerre out in the sunken garden. bumper toast n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > [noun] > amount of drink > brimming brimmer1663 bumper?1670 swimmer1682 brusher1699 bumper toast1756 bumper dram1818 tip-topper1822 1756 F. Greville & F. Greville Maxims, Characters, & Refl. 178 Being asked for my bumper-toast; Sir, said I, if you please I'll give you honest Mr. Minucius. 1839 J. G. Lockhart Ballantyne-humbug Handled 99 Few will doubt that he did..pledge with hearty zeal many a bumper-toast. 1999 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 27 Sept. 6 I..will have a bumper toast to the man who was born 2,000 years ago. C2. Horse Racing (originally Irish English). In the genitive and attributive (in singular and plural), designating a flat race run under National Hunt rules, or a horse that runs in such races. See sense A. 5. ΚΠ 1925 Irish Times 8 Aug. 12/1 Certain critics who have never ridden anything more exciting than a donkey on Margate Sands have a habit of referring to these events as ‘bumpers' races’. 1946 Irish Times 7 Dec. 2/3 Dymoke, winner of a bumper's race over the course, will likely be the choice of the majority. 1965 Times 6 July 3/5 Dolgelley is owned by Mr. R. L. Kemp, whose son rode her to victory in a bumper race at Birmingham in May. 1986 Horse & Hound 18 Apr. 62/2 He is a lovely horse and definitely has a future over obstacles, although he will be campaigning in two more bumpers contests before racing on the flat this summer. 2014 Daily Tel. 12 Mar. (Sport section) 11/7 Definitely Red looks one of the better bumper horses from Britain. C3. bumper bar n. a buffer or shock-absorbing apparatus on a vehicle; cf. sense A. 2. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > body or bodywork > bumper bumper bar1862 fender1919 bumper1959 1862 H. A. Smead & C. H. Huntly U.S. Patent 35,399 1/1 The bumper-bar is composed of the top and bottom plates.., and the jaws. 1926 Morris Owner Feb. 1600/2 The front face of the bumper bar is attractively finished in bright nickel plate. 2012 C. Stroud Niceville 28 He'll use those bumper bars on your off-side taillight. bumper boat n. originally North American a boat designed to bump against other objects; spec. (chiefly in plural) a small boat steered around an enclosure with others as part of a fairground amusement; cf. bumper car n. ΚΠ 1958 MacGregor (Manitoba) Herald 26 June 8 The lumberjack..now rides his outboard-powered circular bumper-boat to nudge the log booms into formation. 1983 Skiing Spring 98/2 You name it, they do it here: bumper boats, rollerskating [etc.]. 2013 J. Futrell Waldameer Park 88/2 Waldameer Park replaced its kiddie turnpike ride with the bumper boats. Like bumper cars on water, it provided a cooling ride on a hot summer day. bumper car n. a small electrically-powered car with rubber bumpers all round, driven in an enclosure at an amusement park, etc., with the aim of bumping into other such cars and avoiding bumps from them; = Dodgem n.The usual term in North America. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > place of amusement or entertainment > fairground or amusement park > [noun] > fairground ride > dodgems > car bump car1937 bumper car1938 1924 Washington Post 21 July 11/4 There are 25 of the rubber bumper cars dashing over 10,000 feet of steel flooring.] 1938 Illustr. London News 13 Aug. 298/1 (caption) Riding in a ‘bumper car’. 1960 New Left Rev. Jan. 52/1 Going to a fair to ride on the bumper cars. 2007 Telegram & Gaz. (Worcester, Mass.) (Nexis) 7 Nov. a1 Many who have enjoyed a ride on a bumper car probably never realized they were subjecting themselves to Newton's third law of motion. bumper sticker n. (a) a sticker featuring a slogan or advertisement, designed to be displayed on the bumper of a motor vehicle; (b) attributive designating or characteristic of a slogan found on a bumper sticker; (hence) glibly expressed, clichéd, or simplistic. ΚΠ 1948 Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News 25 Apr. 7/2 The Jaycees plan distribution of..windshield and bumper stickers..on the new Texas uniform traffic act. 1957 Bradford (Pa.) Era 23 May 3/1 4,000 automobiles..will be sporting the..safe driving bumper sticker slogan, ‘Submerge Jet Urge.’ 1970 Boston Globe 26 Mar. 20 (heading) Bumper sticker rhetoric from Nixon. 1993 Time Out 31 Mar. 108/4 Robert's style is a mixture of bumper-sticker platitudes and half-baked poetical allusions. 2008 E. Strout Olive Kitteredge 91 He saw a dented Volvo parked in her driveway; it was covered with bumper stickers. bumper timber n. (a piece of) timber used as a bumper (sense A. 2b); spec. one mounted on the front of a railway locomotive, to which the cowcatcher is attached (now chiefly historical). ΚΠ 1874 Railroad Gaz. 27 June 245/3 Bumper timber. 1909 G. L. Fowler Locomotive Dict. (new ed.) 78/1 Safety chain, a chain fastened to each of the forward corners of a locomotive truck and to the bumper timber to prevent the truck from turning in case of derailment. 1970 News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 3 Mar. 23/3 Ice has pulled on bumper timber forcing the docks to splinter over the pilings. 2007 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 25 Mar. c6/1 The bumper timber passed within an inch of his head as he..drew Chezem onto the platform. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022). bumpern.² Brit. /ˈbʌmpə/, U.S. /ˈbəmpər/ Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: bump v.², -er suffix¹. Etymology: < bump v.² + -er suffix¹. Scottish and English regional. Now rare. In full bog-bumper, †mire-bumper. A bittern, Botaurus stellaris (family Ardeidae). Cf. bump v.² ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Ciconiiformes (storks, etc.) > [noun] > family Ardeidae (herons and bitterns) > member of genus Botaurus (bittern) bitternc1330 mire-druma1398 butterbump1671 bog-bumper1804 bumble1813 bog-blitter1815 bull-of-the-bog1815 1804 T. Bewick Hist. Brit. Birds II. 47 (heading) Bittern. Bog-bumper, Bitter-bum or Mire-drum. 1868 Zoologist 3 1172 The ‘mire-bumper’ or ‘bog-bummer’ was formerly supposed to produce its booming noise by sticking its beak either in a hollow reed or in the mud. 1887 A. Jessopp Arcady 57 He went with his mother over Thetford Heath..and..they came upon the nests of the ‘Bog Bumpers’. 1895 G. Muirhead Birds of Berwickshire II. 53 The common bittern... mire-bumper, mire drum. 2001 C. Fergus Thornapples 178 The bird's vocalizing is further described by its common names: bog bumper, thunder pumper, stake driver, water belcher. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bumpern.³ Brit. /ˈbʌmpə/, U.S. /ˈbəmpər/, Australian English /ˈbʌmpə/, New Zealand English /ˈbʌmpə/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: bump v.¹, -er suffix¹. Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < bump v.¹ + -er suffix¹ (compare bumper n.¹), although the motivation for such a formation is unclear; possibly with allusion to the fact that the butt of the cigarette is the part that ‘bumps’ against the smoker's lips. It has alternatively been suggested that bump- in this word represents a blend of butt n.⁶ and stump n.¹, although this seems less likely. Australian and New Zealand slang. A cigarette butt. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > smoking > articles or materials used in smoking > [noun] > thing which may be smoked > cigar or cigarette > butt or end of doup1710 butt end1827 old soldier1834 butt1847 stub1855 cigar-end1870 stub-end1875 cigarette-end1889 cigar-butt1891 snipe1891 fag end1892 fag1897 bumper1899 scag1915 cigarette-butt1923 dout1928 dog-end1934 roach1939 stompie1947 1899 Austral. Tit-bits 6 May 194/3 Bumper hunters..are men and boys who, unable to buy tobacco, or in order to save money, make a practice of picking up and smoking all the ‘butts’..of cigars and cigarettes which they can find lying in the streets. 1916 Anzac Bk. 47/2 While we was standin' to arms 'e lights up a bumper. 1956 T. Sutherland Green Kiwi (1960) 203 Coins, cigarette ‘bumpers’ and odds and ends fell from George's pockets on to the ground. 1967 Southerly 27 212 He patted the bare mattress..where a bumper had burned a hole sometime in the past. 2015 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 17 Oct. 3 A group of men..were probing the 20-millimetre hole filled with old ‘bumpers’ or cigarette butts. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bumpern.⁴ Brit. /ˈbʌmpə/, U.S. /ˈbəmpər/ Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: bump n.², -er suffix⁶; bump v.¹, -er suffix⁶. Etymology: Either (i) < bump n.² (compare bump n.² 6a) + -er suffix⁶, or (ii) < bump v.¹ (compare bump v.¹ 6) + -er suffix⁶. Oxford University slang. Now rare. A bumps race (see bump n.² 6b) in rowing. Chiefly in plural. 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 1906 D. Coke Bending of Twig x. 157 The Bumpers, to give them their familiar name, are split in such a way that a day of rest is allowed in the middle of the four days' racing. 1910 H. W. Chaundry Rec. Rowing Club S. Philip & S. James', Oxf. 13 Each of its two crews secured four bumps in the City ‘Bumpers’. 1962 R. D. Hill Hist. St. Edward's School 357 The turn of the century saw a record number of eleven Bumper crews. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). † bumperv.¹ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bumper n.¹ Etymology: < bumper n.¹ Obsolete. 1. intransitive, and transitive with it. To drink a toast in the form of a bumper (bumper n.¹ 6). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor > drink toasts or healths hailc1275 to drink (a person's) hailc1325 to drink good lucka1529 pledge1546 carouse1583 skola1599 to drink off (or eat) candle-ends1600 health1628 to begin to a person1629 bumper1691 toast1699 to drink hob or nob, hob a nob1756 hob-nob1763 hobber-nob1800 to look towards (a person)1833 propine1887 ganbei1940 1691 W. Mountfort Greenwich-Park i. iii. 6 We roar'd mightily, were very Merry, and Bumper'd it about chearfully. 1696 W. Mountague Delights Holland 40 They [sc. the Dutch] Bumper it but seldom. 1772 G. A. Stevens Songs Comic & Satyrical cxxvi. 231 Six Bottles! we'll have them, and bumper away. 1795 J. Wolcot Hair Powder in Wks. (1812) III. 301 Ye bumper it in England's cause. 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle's Log II. vii. 338 We all sang and bumpered away. 1879 V. Durrant Saul Weir II. xviii. 313 The lady..had already been bumpering it too much, and nodded her head drowsily. 2. transitive. To drink or drain as a toast in the form of a bumper. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > providing or serving drink > [verb (transitive)] > pour liquor into or fill with liquor skinka1522 bumper1753 1753 G. A. Stevens 120 New Comic Songs 21 I bumper'd the last of my Bottle. 1793 R. Burns Poems (ed. 2) II. 86 I'll..bumper his horn with him twenty times o'er. 1829 R. Mudie Second Judgment Babylon Great I. vi. 72 Two or three hundred fat citizens..bumpering the wine to toasts and glees. 1837 Tait's Edinb. Mag. Aug. 492/2 I'll coach it, and dine it, and drink it till morn ; And, true to your love-toast, aye bumper a horn. 3. transitive. To toast (a person, etc.) with a bumper. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (transitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor > pledge or toast to drink to1530 pledge1546 brince?1567 brinks1568 carouse1583 dipa1657 toast1700 respect1708 bumper?1764 to look toward ——1833 propine1887 skol1935 ganbei1976 ?1764 ‘Z. Zeal’ Seasonable Alarm London 40 His Majesty's Health was bumpered twice a Day in all their Families. 1808 Cumbrian Ballads No. 75. 175 Come, bumper the Cummerlan lasses. 1887 Royal Cornwall Gaz. 4 Feb. 6/2 The principal inhabitants..bumpered the King and his friends with heartfelt loyalty and patriotism. Derivatives bumpering n. ΚΠ 1744 A. Hamilton Itinerarium 7 July in C. Bridenbaugh Gentleman's Progress (1948) 79 After dinner they went to the old trade of bumpering. 1812 G. Colman Poet. Vagaries 122 That Hog of bumpering capacity; With far more noise than any of his Hounds, And infinitely less sagacity. 1838 Belfast News-Let. 13 Feb. The toasting and bumpering..are decorous, and in unison with the occasion. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021). † bumperv.² Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bumper n.¹ Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < bumper n.¹ Obsolete. intransitive. To cause bumps or jolts.In quot. as part of an extended metaphor in which the process of literary composition is imagined as a ride on the winged horse Pegasus (see Pegasus n. 1a).Apparently an isolated coinage. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > move to and fro or up and down [verb (intransitive)] > jog or jolt to and fro or up and down > cause jolts bumper1822 1822 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 159/2 The products of my last two rides, performed at a hand-gallop, in which I trust you will think that Peggy [i.e. Pegasus] has bumpered but seldom. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018). < n.¹adj.1611n.²1804n.³1899n.⁴1906v.¹1691v.²1822
随便看	intertraffic intertranslatability intertranslatable intertranspicuous intertransversal intertransversary intertransverse intertrial intertribal intertrigation intertrigo intertrigos intertrike intertrinitarian intertrochanteric intertrochlear intertropical intertrude intertubercular intertubular interturb interturbation interturber intertwine intertwined

bumpern.1adj.

Compounds

bumpern.2

bumpern.3

bumpern.4

† bumperv.1

Derivatives

† bumperv.2

bumpern.¹adj.

bumpern.²

bumpern.³

bumpern.⁴

† bumperv.¹

† bumperv.²