boat-shaped 
boat-shaped (bot'shapt), n. Having the shape 
of a boat; navicular; cymbiform; hollow like 
a boat, as (in bat.) the valves of some pericarps. 
Specifically, in ornitli., applied to tile tail of certain birds, 
Boat-shaped. Tail of a Crackle, 
as the boat-tailed grackle, (Juicalm major, in which the 
plane of the feathers of each half meets that of the other 
half obliquely, slanting downward and toward the me- 
dian line, and thus induces a reentrance or hollow of the 
upper surface and a salience or keel below. 
boat-shell (bot'shel), . The English name of 
the shells of the genus Cymbium or Cymba, be- 
longing to the family J'olittida'. See cut under 
Cymbium. 
boat-skid (bot'skid), n. Naut., a piece of wood 
fastened to a ship's side to prevent chafing 
when a boat is hoisted or lowered. 
boatsmant (bots'man), w. [< boafs, poss. of 
boat, + man ; = T). bootsman = Sw. bdtsman = 
Dan. baadxman, boatswain.] 1. A boatswain. 
2. A boatman. 
boat-song (bot'sdng), . A vocal, or occasion- 
ally an instrumental, musical composition, 
either intended actually to be sung while row- 
ing or sailing or written in imitation of a song 
thus used. See barcarole. 
boatswain (hot 'swan; colloq. and in naut. 
use, bo'sn), n. [Also colloq. and naut. boson 
(formerly in good literary use) ; early mod. E. 
boatswain, boatson, boteswayne, < late ME. bot- 
swayne; < boat + swain, in the sense of 'boy ser- 
vant.' The alleged AS. "batswdn is not author- 
ized.] 1. A subordinate officer of a ship, who 
has charge of the rigging, anchors, cables, and 
cordage. It is his duty also to summon the crew for any 
evolution, and to assist the executive officer in the neces- 
sary business of the ship. His station is always on the fore- 
castle, and a silver call or whistle is the badge of his office. 
2. A jiiger or skua; any bird of the genus 
Lestris or Stercorarius. 
Dr. Bessels killed three fork-tailed gulls, and two 6o(- 
mvaiiu. C. F. Hall, Polar Expedition, p. 388. 
3. A name of birds of the genus Pkaethon. See 
tropic-bird Boatswain's mate, an assistant of a boat- 
swain. Boatswain's mates inflicted corporal punishment 
before it was abolished. 
boat-tailed (bot'tald), a. Having the tail boat- 
shaped. See boat-shaped. 
boattails (bot'talz), n. pi. In ornitli., a name 
sometimes given to the American grackles, 
subfamily QuiscaUna;, family Icteridte, from the 
fact that their tails are boat-shaped. See cut 
under boat-shaped. 
boatwright (bot'rit), , A boat-builder. 
bob 1 (bob), H. [Under the form 606 are in- 
cluded several words of obscure origin, mostly 
colloquial and without a definite literary his- 
tory, and in consequence now more or less con- 
fused in sense as well as in form. The differ- 
ent senses, in their noun and verb uses, have 
reacted on each other, and cannot now be en- 
tirely disentangled. Bofti, ., a cluster, etc., 
= Sc. 606, bob, a cluster, bunch, nosegay, < 
ME. bob.bobbc, a cluster; cf. Icel. bobbi, a knot 
(nodus, Haldorsen), and Gael, babag, a cluster, 
baban, a tassel, fringe. In senses 5J 6, 7, rather 
from 6o61, v. t., 1; in senses 10, 11, 13. 606 is 
short for bob-wig, bob-stick, bob-sled, q. v.] 1. 
A bunch; a cluster; a nosegay. [Now chiefly 
Scotch.] 
Vynes . . . with wondere grete bobbis of grapes 
MS. in Halliwell. 
The rose an' hawthorn sweet I'll twine 
To make a bob for thee. Hogg, The Hay-makers. 
2f. The seed-vessel of flax, hops, etc. 3 Any 
small round object swinging or playing loosely 
at the end of a cord, line, flexible chain, wire 
rod, or the like Specifically- (a) A little pendant or 
ornament so attached ; an ear-drop. 
In jewels dressed, and at each ear a bob. 
Dryden, tr. of Juvenal's Satires, vi 
Those Indians who are found to wear all the gold they 
have in the world in a bob at the nose. 
Goldsmith, Citizen of the World lii 
606 
a deer's tail ; . . . strips of red flannel or red feathers are bob 3 } 
sometimes added, . . . forming a kind of tassel, with the * 
points of the hooks projecting at equal distances. 
The Century, XXVI. 383. 
(ff) A float or cork for a fish-line. 
4. A small wheel made entirely of a thick piece 
of bull-neck or sea-cow leather, perforated for 
the reception of the spindle, used for polishing 
the inside of the bowls of spoons and the con- 
cave portions of other articles. 5f. The words 
repeated at the end of a stanza ; the burden of 
bobbin 
), v. t. ; pret. and pp. bobbed, ppr. 606- 
,..;,. L , ME. bobben, < OF. bober, mock, de- 
ceive, cheat.] 1. To mock; deride; insult. 
So by siche feynyd myraclis men by gylenhemsilf and 
dispisen God, as the tormentours that bobbulen Crist. 
Rel. Antiq., ii. 47. 
2. To deceive; delude; cheat. 
Play her pranks and bob the foole. 
Turberville, A Pretie Epigram. 
3. To gain by fraud or cheating. 
You're bobb'd ; 'twas but a deed in trust. 
a song. Middleton (and others), The Widow, v. 1. 
" To bed, to bed," will be the 606 of the song. 
Si> R. L' Estrange, Fables. 
6. A short jerking action or motion: as, a 606 anew., wneno, v. i. 
of the head. 7. In change-ringing, a set of bob 3 (bob), n. [< bob^, v. Cf. OF. bobe, mocking, 
changes which may be rung on 6, 8, 10, or 12 deception.] A taunt; a jeer or flout; a trick. 
bells. That nine on fi bells is called n hnh ii>- - nn 8 
Gold, and jewels, that I bobb'd from him. 
Shak., Othello, v. 1. 
bells. That rung on fl bells is called a bob minor; on 8 
bells, a bob major; on 10 bells, a bob royal; and on 12 
bells, a bob HUMOMIA 
8. A triangular or four-sided frame of iron or 
wood, vibrating on an axis, by the aid of which 
the motion of the connecting-rod of an engine 
is communicated to a pump-rod, the former 
Let her leave her bobs; 
I have had too many of them ; and her quillets. 
Fletcher, Tamer Tamed. 
I am beholding to you 
For all your merry tricks you put upon me, 
Your bobt, and base accounts. 
10 ' M [i r . in 1 1 n ,1 1 1 > i LU a ^jump-ruu, me loruier Fletcher, Wildgoose Chase, iii. 1. 
being usually horizontal, the latter vertical or To give the bob tot, to make a fool of ; impose upon 
considerably inclined.-9. A dance. [Scotch.] It can be no other [1)llslnes8 , 
But to give me the bob. 
tlaxeinger, Maid of Honour, iv. 5. 
bob 4 (bob), n. [< ME. bobbe, an insect men- 
tioned in connection with spiders and lice ; = 
Sw. bobba, a certain insect, buprestis. Perhaps 
the same word as bob 1 , a bunch, of which a dial, 
sense is 'ball'; cf. attercop, a spider, lit. 'poi- 
son-head' or 'poison-bunch'; cf. also pill-beetle. 
Cf. Icel. bobbi, a snail-shell; komast i bobba, 
get into a puzzle.] A louse; any small insect. 
Halliwell. [Prov. Bug.] 
' The 
- - i, 
O what'n a bob was the bob o' Dunblane. 
Jacobite Song. 
10. A particular kind of wig; a bob-wig. 
A plain brown bob he wore. 
Shenstone, Extent of Cookery. 
He had seen flaxen bobs succeeded by majors, which in 
their turn gave way to negligent, which were at last total- 
ly routed by bags and ramilies. Goldsmith, Richard Nash. 
11. A shilling. Formerly bobstick. [Slang.] 
"Well, please yourself," quoth the tinker; "you shall 
have the books for four 606." . . . " Four 6068 four shil- 
lings: it is a great sum," said Lenny. .*.... ,t,.*. ii iuv. .uug.j 
Bvlwer, My Novel, iv. 5. bobac, bobak (bob'ak), n. [Pol. bobak.] 
12. An infantry soldier: as, the light bobs : pos- Polish marmot, Arctomys bobac. 
sibly so called because soldiers were enlisted Bobadil (bob a-dil), n. [The name of a boast- 
in England with a shilling. [Slang.] 13. A }3J character m Ben Jonson's "Every Man in 
seat mounted on short runners, used either for J 1 "' Humour."] A blustering braggart, 
pleasure coasting or for the conveyance of Bobadllian (bob-a-dil'ian), a. Pertaining to 
loads over ice or snow : a sled. r American T or resembling a Bobadil, or a blustering fellow 
a se. merican.] , userng eow 
as cushion-dame. Dry bob, wno "jakes pretenses to prowess, 
boy who devotes himself to Bobadilism (bob'a-dil-izm), n. [< Bobadil + 
Bob at the bolster. Same as 
at Eton College, England, a boy ,. U c<ui*re umurcu 10 uuuavuuE 
cncket or foot-ball: in opposition to vet bob, one who -ism 1 B 
makes boating his principal recreation. Oscillatine or v-v-id 
gbob. Same as balance-bob. v v ' "' 
Blustering conduct or braggadocio. 
See bobac. 
who or that which bobs. 
vaguely imitative, and not directly connected 
2. One who fishes 
with a bob. 3. One of the artificial flies of au 
with the noun.] 
I. trans. 1. To cause a short 
.. __ -. j A . H omvi *> -Lvy v><*u.oc a> ou\JHi 
jerky motion of; effect by a short jerking move- a ?? ler s cast - 
ment: as, "he bobbed his head," Irving; to 606 bobber 2 t, n. [< bob% + -erl.] 1. One who scoffs. 
a courtesy. Bitter taunters, dry bobbers, nyppinge gybers, and 
When Ionian shoals skorneful mockers of others. 
Of dolphins bob their noses through the brine. Tmichntone of Complexion* (1675). 
Keats, Endymion, i. 2. A deceiver. 
2. To cut short; dock: often with off: as, to bobbery (bob'er-i), n.; pi. bobberies (-iz). [Pop- 
606 or bob off a horse's tail. ularly regarded as a native E. term, < ftoftl, v. 
II. tntrans. 1. To act jerkily, or by short bob^,v., + -ery, but really of Anglo-Indian ori- 
quick motions ; move or play loosely, in a sway- gin, being an accom. of Hind, bap re, O father! 
mg or vibrating manner: as, to 606 against a a common exclamation of surprise : bap, father 
person ; to bob up and down, or back and forth, re, a vocative particle expressing surprise.] A 
as a pith-ball or other object, or a person. squabble; a row; a disturbance: as, to kick up 
A birthday jewel bobbing at their ear. Dryden. a bobbery. [Colloq. and vulgar.] 
2. To make a jerky bow or obeisance. . I heard something yesterday of his kicking up a bobbery 
He rolled in upon two little turned legs and having in tlle kitenen - Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 36. 
^ 
3 - 4 - ? an ' 
SaaSI ittTW&S* le e "? of a Pendulum, plumb- 
line, and the like. (c)The movable weight on the graduat- 
ed arm of a steelyard, (d) A knot of worms, rags, or other 
ures, fixed to a string, with or without a look and used 
in angling. () Formerly, a grub or larva of a beetle uled 
xor DEIC. . 
Yellow bobs turned up before the plough 
Are chiefest bait with cork and lead enough 
J. Dennys, Secrets of Angling, ii.'(1613). 
(/) A gang of fish-hooks. 
The 606 . is formed by tying three hooks together 
back to back, and covering their shanks with a portion of 
, as for eels, or by giving the 
jerking motion in the water. 
I'll bob for no more eels. Shirley, Hyde Park, v. 2. 
These are the baits they bob with. 
Beau, and Fl., Captain, iii. 4. 
bob 2 (bob), v. t. ; pret. and pp. bobbed, ppr. bob- 
bing. [< ME. bobben, strike. Origin obscure, 
perhaps in part imitative; cf. bob*, v . Cf. Sc. 
606, a mark or butt.] 1. To strike; beat. 
With the bit of his blade he babbit him so . 
He clefe him to the coler. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 7316. 
I'll not be bob'd in th' nose. 
Fletcher, Mons. Thomas, ii. 2. 
2. To jog; shake; nudge. 
Mr. Harley bobbed me at every line to take notice of 
le beauties. Swift, Journal to Stella, Letter 6. 
bob 2 t (bob), n. [< 6o6 2 , t\] A shake or jog; 
a blow: as, " pinches, nips, and bobs," Ascham, 
The Scholemaster. 
He that a fool doth very wisely hit 
Doth very foolishly, although he smart, 
Not to seem senseless of the 606. 
Shat., As you Like it, ii. 7. 
a tassel, fringe, babag, a cluster, tassel. This 
would bring bobine into connection with E. dial. 
bobbin, a small fagot (unless this is a var. of 
bobbin = bavin 1 ), and bobbin, a little knob hang- 
ing by a string attached to a latch. See fto&l.] 
1. A reel or spool for holding thread. Specifi- 
cally (a) One of the weights used to steady the threads 
in pillow-lace making, each bobbin having a slender neck 
around which a part of the thread is wound ; formerly made 
of bone, but now commonly of wood, (b) A spool with a 
head at one or both ends, intended to have thread or yarn 
wound on it, and used in spinning, in weaving, and in 
sewing-machines. 
Hence 2. Either of the two spool-shaped parts 
of an electromagnet, consisting of a central core 
of soft iron wound around with a considerable 
length of fine insulated copper wire. 3. A 
narrow tape or small cord of cotton or linen. 
4. A hank of Russian flax, consisting of 6, 
9, or 12 heads, according to the quality Bob- 
bin and fly-frame, (a) A machine used in cotton-man- 
ufacture for taking the sliver as received from the draw- 
ing-frame and converting it into roving or slulibing ; tliis 
is the first or coarse frame, (b) A machine which takes 
the stubbing from the first frame and converts it into a 
coarse yarn. 
