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
(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.
4. To mock or delude; to cheat.
To play her pranks, and bob the fool,
The shrewish wife began.
Turbervile.
5. To cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse's tail.
