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bob
bob1 / bäb/ • v. (bobbed , bob·bing ) [intr.] (of a thing) make a quick short movement up and down: I could see his red head bobbing around the boat bobbed up and down. ∎ [tr.] cause (something) to make such a movement: she bobbed her head. ∎ [intr.] make a sudden move in a particular direction so as to appear or disappear: a lady bobbed up from beneath the counter. ∎ [intr.] move up and down briefly in a curtsy. • n. a movement up and down: she could only manage a slight bob of her head. ∎ a curtsy. PHRASES: bob and weave make rapid bodily movements up and down and from side to side, for example as an evasive tactic by a boxer. bob2 • n. 1. a style in which the hair is cut short and evenly all around so that it hangs above the shoulders. 2. a weight on a pendulum, plumb line, or kite-tail. • v. (bobbed , bob·bing ) 1. [tr.] [usu. as adj.] (bobbed) cut (someone's hair) in a bob: she tied a headscarf over her bobbed brown hair. 2. [intr.] ride on a bobsled. bob3 Brit., inf. • n. (pl. same) a shilling. ∎ used with reference to a moderately large but unspecified amount of money: those vases are worth a few bob. bob4 • n. a change of order in bell-ringing. ∎ used in names of change-ringing methods: plain bob bob minor. |
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"bob." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bob." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bob005.html "bob." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bob005.html |
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Bob
Boba knot or bunch of hair, hence, a bunch or cluster of leaves, flowers, fruit, etc. See also bouquet, bunch, nosegay. Examples: bob of cherries, 1460; of flowers, 1570; of fruit; of grapes, 1400; of hair, 1680; of hawthorn, 1807; of leaves, 1570; of primroses, 1807; of crimson ribbons, 1837; of worms, 1882. |
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"Bob." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bob." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300141.html "Bob." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300141.html |
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bob
bob1 a change of order in bell-ringing; used in names of change-ringing methods, as plain bob. The term is recorded from the late 17th century, and may be connected with bob meaning ‘sudden movement up and down’.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bob." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bob." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-bob.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bob." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-bob.html |
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bob
bob2
A. †pummel, buffet, rap XIV; B. move with a jerk up or down or to and fro XIV; curtsy XVIII. prob. of limit. orig. Hence bob sb. †blow, rap XVI; method of change-ringing XVII; curtsy XIX. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "bob." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "bob." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bob1.html T. F. HOAD. "bob." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bob1.html |
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bob
bob2 in British usage, a shilling; more generally, used with reference to a large but unspecified amount of money. The term is recorded from the late 18th century but the origin is unknown.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bob." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bob." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-bob1.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bob." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-bob1.html |
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Bob
Bob ♂ Altered short form of Robert, a later development than the common medieval forms Hob, Dob, and Nob, all of which, unlike Bob, have given rise to English surnames.
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bob." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bob." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bob.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bob." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bob.html |
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bob
bob1 bunch. knob, knot (of hair). XIV. of unkn. orig.
Hence bob vb. fish with a bob or bunch of worms XVII; make into a bob, cut short, dock XIX. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "bob." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "bob." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bob.html T. F. HOAD. "bob." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bob.html |
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bob
bob
•blob, bob, cob, dob, fob, glob, gob, hob, job, knob, lob, mob, nob, rob, slob, snob, sob, squab, stob, swab, throb, yob
•nabob • skibob • thingamabob
•corncob • hobnob • doorknob
•heartthrob
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Cite this article
"bob." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bob." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bob.html "bob." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bob.html |
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