Part 721

Boat"swain (&?;), n. [Boat + swain.] 1. (Naut.) An officer who has charge of the boats, sails, rigging, colors, anchors, cables, cordage, etc., of a ship, and who also summons the crew, and performs other duties.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The jager gull. (b) The tropic bird.

Boatswain's mate, an assistant of the boatswain. Totten.

Boat"-tail` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) A large grackle or blackbird (Quiscalus major), found in the Southern United States.

Boat"wom`an (&?;), n.; pl. Boatwomen (&?;). A woman who manages a boat.

Bob (&?;), n. [An onomatopoetic word, expressing quick, jerky motion; OE. bob bunch, bobben to strike, mock, deceive. Cf. Prov. Eng. bob, n., a ball, an engine beam, bunch, blast, trick, taunt, scoff; as, a v., to dance, to courtesy, to disappoint, OF. bober to mock.] 1. Anything that hangs so as to play loosely, or with a short abrupt motion, as at the end of a string; a pendant; as, the bob at the end of a kite's tail.

In jewels dressed and at each ear a bob. Dryden.

2. 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.

3. A small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float.

4. The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line.

5. A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc.

6. A short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head.

7. (Steam Engine) A working beam.

8. A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig.

A plain brown bob he wore. Shenstone.

9. A peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells.

10. The refrain of a song.

To bed, to bed, will be the bob of the song. L'Estrange.

11. A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.

12. 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.

13. A shilling. [Slang, Eng.] Dickens.

Bob (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bobbed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bobbing.] [OE. bobben. See Bob, n.] 1. To cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with a bob. "He bobbed his head." W. Irving.

2. 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.

3. To cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch.

Gold and jewels that I bobbed from him. Shak.