bob

Definitions

1. 1.A knot of worms, or of rags, on a string, used in angling, as for eels; formerly, a worm suitable for bait. Or yellow bobs, turned up before the plow, Are chiefest baits, with cork and lead enow. Lauson.
2. 2.A small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float.
3. 3.The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line.
4. 4.A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc.
5. 5.A short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head.
6. 6.(Steam Engine) A working beam.
7. 7.A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig. A plain brown bob he wore. Shenstone.
8. 8.A peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells.
9. 9.The refrain of a song. To bed, to bed, will be the bob of the song. L'Estrange.
10. 10.A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.
11. 11.A jeer or flout; a sharp jest or taunt; a trick. He that a fool doth very wisely hit, Doth very foolishly, although he smart, Not to seem senseless of the bob. Shak.
12. 12.A shilling. [Slang, Eng.] Dickens.
13. 13.To cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with a bob. "He bobbed his head." W. Irving.
14. 14.To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap. If any man happened by long sitting to sleep . . . he was suddenly bobbed on the face by the servants. Elyot.
15. 15.To cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch. Gold and jewels that I bobbed from him. Shak.
16. 16.To mock or delude; to cheat. To play her pranks, and bob the fool, The shrewish wife began. Turbervile.
17. 17.To cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse's tail.
18. 18.To have a short, jerking motion; to play to and fro, or up and down; to play loosely against anything. "Bobbing and courtesying." Thackeray.
19. 19.To angle with a bob. See Bob, n., 2 & 3. He ne'er had learned the art to bob For anything but eels. Saxe. To bob at an apple, cherry, etc. to attempt to bite or seize with the mouth an apple, cherry, or other round fruit, while it is swinging from a string or floating in a tug of water.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "bob" mean?
• What is another word for "bob"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is bob.

• What is a small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float called?
• What is the ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line called?
• What is a small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc called?
• What is a short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head called?
• What is a knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig. A plain brown bob he wore. Shenstone called?
• What is a peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells called?
• What is the refrain of a song. To bed, to bed, will be the bob of the song. L'Estrange called?
• What is a blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist called?
• What is a jeer or flout; a sharp jest or taunt; a trick. He that a fool doth very wisely hit, Doth very foolishly, although he smart, Not to seem senseless of the bob. Shak called?
• What is to cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with a bob. "He bobbed his head." W. Irving called?
• What is to strike with a quick, light blow; to tap. If any man happened by long sitting to sleep . . . he was suddenly bobbed on the face by the servants. Elyot called?
• What is to cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch. Gold and jewels that I bobbed from him. Shak called?
• What is to mock or delude; to cheat. To play her pranks, and bob the fool, The shrewish wife began. Turbervile called?
• What is to cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse's tail called?
• What is to have a short, jerking motion; to play to and fro, or up and down; to play loosely against anything. "Bobbing and courtesying." Thackeray called?