Bowl, bōl, n. a wooden ball used for rolling along the ground.—v.t. and v.i. to play at bowls: to roll along like a bowl: to throw a ball, as in cricket.—ns. Bowl′er, one who plays at bowls: one who bowls the ball in cricket; Bowl′ing, the act of playing at bowls, or of throwing a ball, as in cricket; Bowl′ing-al′ley, a long narrow covered place for bowling; Bowl′ing-green, a green or grassy plat kept smooth for bowling. [Fr. boule—L. bulla.]
Bowl, bōl, n. a basin for domestic use, esp. of earthenware or porcelain, nearly hemispherical in shape: a large punch-bowl, for brewing punch in: a round drinking-cup, rather wide than deep—hence 'the bowl,' 'the flowing bowl,' as synonyms for conviviality; the round hollow part of anything. [A.S. bolla. See Bole.]
Bowlder, bōld′ėr, n. Same as Boulder.
Bowse. Same as Bouse.
Bowsprit, bō′sprit, n. a strong spar projecting over the stem-head or bows of a sailing-ship, and also of a steamship when her stem is of the curved or cutwater description. [Dut. boegspriet.]
Box, boks, n. a tree remarkable for the hardness and smoothness of its wood—also Box-tree (Shak.): a case or receptacle for holding anything: the contents of a box: a small house or lodge, as a shooting-box, &c.: in a theatre, a small enclosure with several seats—the boxes = their occupants, the ladies: an old square pew or similar enclosure, as a sentry-box, signal-box, &c.: the driver's seat on a carriage: the case in which the ship's compass is kept.—v.t. to put into or furnish with boxes: (slang) to overturn a watchman in his box.—ns. Box′-bed, a kind of bed once common in Scotch cottages, having its ends, sides, and roof of wood, and capable of being closed in front by two sliding panels; Box′-day, one of the Court of Session vacation days when papers ordered to be deposited in court must be lodged.—adj. Box′en, made of or like boxwood.—ns. Box′ing-day, in England, the day after Christmas, when boxes or presents are given; Box′-ī′ron, a hollow smoothing-iron which is heated by a heater put into it; Box′-keep′er, an attendant who opens the doors of boxes at theatres or other places of public amusement; Box′-lobb′y, the lobby leading to the boxes in a theatre; Box′wood, wood of the box-tree.—In the wrong box, in a false position, in a scrape.—To be in a box, to be in a fix; To box Harry, to take a beefsteak, mutton-chop, or bacon and eggs with tea or ale, instead of the regulation dinner of the commercial traveller; To box the compass, to name the 32 points in their order and backwards, hence to make a complete roundabout in any opinion. [A.S. box—L. buxus—Gr. pyxos, the tree, pyxis, a box.]
Box, boks, n. a blow on the head or ear with the hand.—v.t. to strike with the hand or fist.—v.i. to fight with the fists.—ns. Box′er; Box′ing, the act of fighting with the fists: a combat with the fists; Box′ing-glove, a padded glove worn in boxing.
Boxhaul, boks′hawl, v.t. to veer a ship sharp round on her heel, by putting the helm a-lee, bracing the head-yards flat aback, and hauling to windward the head-sheets.
Boy, boy, n. a male child: a lad: a young man generally, used for 'man' in Ireland and elsewhere: (Shak.) a camp-follower: (obs.) knave: a native servant in South India, China, a male negro slave or native labourer in the South Seas.—v.t. to play the boy.—n. Boy′hood.—adj. Boy′ish.—adv. Boy′ishly.—n. Boy′ishness.—Boy's love, a popular name for southernwood; Boy's play, trifling. [M. E. boi, boy; Fris. boi; Dut. boef, Ger. bube.]
Boyar, boy′är, n. an order of the old Russian aristocracy, holding the chief military and civil offices prior to the reforms of Peter the Great.