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Bow"er (bou", n. [G. bauer a peasant. So called from the figure sometimes used for the knave in cards. See Boor.] One of the two highest cards in the pack commonly used in the game of euchre.

Right bower, the knave of the trump suit, the highest card (except the \'bdJoker\'b8) in the game. -- Left bower, the knave of the other suit of the same color as the trump, being the next to the right bower in value. -- Best bower or Joker, in some forms of euchre and some other games, an extra card sometimes added to the pack, which takes precedence of all others as the highest card.

Bow"er, n. [OE. bour, bur, room, dwelling, AS. b\'d4r, fr. the root of AS. b\'d4an to dwell; akin to Icel. b\'d4r chamber, storehouse, Sw. b\'d4r cage, Dan. buur, OHG. p\'d4r room, G. bauer cage, bauer a peasant. \'fb97] Cf.Boor, Byre.]

1. Anciently, a chamber; a lodging room; esp., a lady's private apartment.

Give me my lute in bed now as I lie,
bower.
Gascoigne.

2. A rustic cottage or abode; poetically, an attractive abode or retreat. Shenstone. B. Johnson.

3. A shelter or covered place in a garden, made with boughs of trees or vines, etc., twined together; an arbor; a shady recess.

Bow"er, v. t. To embower; to inclose. Shak.

Bow"er, v. i. To lodge. [Obs.] Spenser.

Bow"er, n. [From Bough, cf. Brancher.] (Falconry) A young hawk, when it begins to leave the nest. [Obs.]

Bow"er bird` (. (Zo\'94l.) An Australian bird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus ), allied to the starling, which constructs singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with bright-colored objects; the satin bird.

bower bird (Chalmydodera maculata), and the regent bird (Sericulus melinus).

Bow"er*y (, a. Shading, like a bower; full of bowers.

A bowery maze that shades the purple streams.
Trumbull.

Bow"er*y, n.; pl. Boweries (. [D. bouwerij.] A farm or plantation with its buildings. [U.S.Hist.]

The emigrants [in New York] were scattered on boweries or plantations; and seeing the evils of this mode of living widely apart, they were advised, in 1643 and 1646, by the Dutch authorities, to gather into \'bdvillages, towns, and hamlets, as the English were in the habit of doing.\'b8
Bancroft.

Bow"er*y, a. Characteristic of the street called the Bowery, in New York city; swaggering; flashy.

Bow"ess (, n. (Falconry) Same as Bower. [Obs.]

Bow"fin` (, n. (Zo\'94l.) A voracious ganoid fish (Amia calva) found in the fresh waters of the United States; the mudfish; -- called also Johnny Grindle, and dogfish.

Bowge (, v. i. To swell out. See Bouge. [Obs.]

Bowge, v. t. To cause to leak. [Obs.] See Bouge.

Bow"grace` (, n. (Naut.) A frame or fender of rope or junk, laid out at the sides or bows of a vessel to secure it from injury by floating ice.

Bow" hand` (. 1. (Archery) The hand that holds the bow, i. e., the left hand.

Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand.
Spenser.

2. (Mus.) The hand that draws the bow, i. e., the right hand.

Bow"head` (, n. (Zo\'94l.) The great Arctic or Greenland whale. (Bal\'91na mysticetus). See Baleen, and Whale.

Bow"ie knife` (. A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen inches long, and double-edged near the point; -- used as a hunting knife, and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the United States. It was named from its inventor, Colonel James Bowie. Also, by extension, any large sheath knife.

Bow"ing (, n. (Mus.) 1. The act or art of managing the bow in playing on stringed instruments.

Bowing constitutes a principal part of the art of the violinist, the violist, etc.
J. W. Moore.

2. In hatmaking, the act or process of separating and distributing the fur or hair by means of a bow, to prepare it for felting.

Bow"ing*ly (, adv. In a bending manner.

Bow"knot` (, n. A knot in which a portion of the string is drawn through in the form of a loop or bow, so as to be readily untied.

Bowl (b, n. [OE. bolle, AS. bolla; akin to Icel. bolli, Dan. bolle, G. bolle, and perh. to E. boil a tumor. Cf. Boll.]

1. A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemispherical), to hold liquids, etc.

Brought them food in bowls of basswood.
Longfellow.

2. Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convivial drinking.

3. The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold.

4. The hollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.

Bowl (b, n. [F. boule, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud. Cf. Bull an edict, Bill a writing.]

1. A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the other, so as to give it a bias when rolled.

2. pl. An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased balls on a level plat of greensward.

Like an uninstructed bowler, . . . who thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straightforward upon it.
Sir W. Scott.

3. pl. The game of tenpins or bowling. [U.S.]

Bowl (, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowling.] 1. To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball.

Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven.
Shak.

2. To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled rapidly along the road.

3. To pelt or strike with anything rolled.

Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth,
bowled to death with turnipsShak.

To bowl (a player) out, in cricket, to put out a striker by knocking down a bail or a stump in bowling.

Bowl, v. i. 1. To play with bowls.

2. To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc.

3. To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled along.

{ Bowl"der, Boul"der (, } n. [Cf. Sw. bullra to roar, rattle, Dan. buldre, dial. Sw. bullersteen larger kind of pebbles; perh. akin to E. bellow.]

1. A large stone, worn smooth or rounded by the action of water; a large pebble.

2. (Geol.) A mass of any rock, whether rounded or not, that has been transported by natural agencies from its native bed. See Drift.

Bowlder clay, the unstratified clay deposit of the Glacial or Drift epoch, often containing large numbers of bowlders. -- Bowlder wall, a wall constructed of large stones or bowlders.

Bowl"der*y (, a. Characterized by bowlders.

Bow"leg` (, n. A crooked leg. Jer. Taylor.

Bow"-legged` (, a. Having crooked legs, esp. with the knees bent outward. Johnson.

Bowl"er (, n. One who plays at bowls, or who rolls the ball in cricket or any other game.

Bow"less, a. Destitute of a bow.

Bow"line (, n. [Cf. D. boelijn, Icel. b\'94gl\'8bnabovline; properly the line attached to the shoulder or side of the sail. See Bow (of a ship), and Line.] (Naut.) A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes, called bridles, and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight forward, when the ship is closehauled.

Bowline bridles, the ropes by which the bowline is fastened to the leech of the sail. -- Bowline knot. See Illust. under Knot. -- On a bowline, close-hauled or sailing close to the wind; -- said of a ship.

Bowl"ing (, n. The act of playing at or rolling bowls, or of rolling the ball at cricket; the game of bowls or of tenpins.

Bowling alley, a covered place for playing at bowls or tenpins. -- Bowling green, a level piece of greensward or smooth ground for bowling, as the small park in lower Broadway, New York, where the Dutch of New Amsterdam played this game.

Bowls (b, n. pl. See Bowl, a ball, a game.

Bow"man (, n.; pl. Bowmen (. A man who uses a bow; an archer.

The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
Jer. iv. 29.

Bowman's root. (Bot.) See Indian physic, under Indian.

Bow"man (, n. (Naut.) The man who rows the foremost oar in a boat; the bow oar.

Bowne (, v. t. [See Boun.] To make ready; to prepare; to dress. [Obs.]

We will all bowne ourselves for the banquet.
Sir W. Scott.

Bow" net` (. 1. A trap for lobsters, being a wickerwork cylinder with a funnel-shaped entrance at one end.

2. A net for catching birds. J. H. Walsh.

Bow" oar` (. 1. The oar used by the bowman.

2. One who rows at the bow of a boat.

Bow"-pen` (, n. Bow-compasses carrying a drawing pen. See Bow-compass.

Bow"-pen`cil (, n. Bow-compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil.

Bow"-saw` (, n. A saw with a thin or narrow blade set in a strong frame.

Bowse (, v. i. [See Booze, and Bouse.]

1. To carouse; to bouse; to booze. De Quincey.

2. (Naut.) To pull or haul; as, to bowse upon a tack; to bowse away, i. e., to pull all together.

Bowse, n. A carouse; a drinking bout; a booze.

Bow"shot` (, n. The distance traversed by an arrow shot from a bow.

Bow"sprit` (, n. [Bow + sprit; akin to D. boegspriet; boeg bow of a ship + spriet, E. sprit, also Sw. bogspr\'94t, G. bugspriet.] (Naut.) A large boom or spar, which projects over the stem of a ship or other vessel, to carry sail forward.

Bows"sen (, v. t. To drench; to soak; especially, to immerse (in water believed to have curative properties). [Obs.]

There were many bowssening places, for curing of mad men.
bowssened again and again.
Carew.

Bow"string` (, n. 1. The string of a bow.

2. A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders.

Bowstring bridge, a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of the arch. -- Bowstring girder, an arched beam strengthened by a tie connecting its two ends. -- Bowstring hemp (Bot.), the tenacious fiber of the Sanseviera Zeylanica, growing in India and Africa, from which bowstrings are made. Balfour.

Bow"string` (, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowstringed ( Bowstrung (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowstringing.] To strangle with a bowstring.

Bow"stringed` (, p. a. 1. Furnished with bowstring.

2. Put to death with a bowstring; strangled.

Bow"tel (, n. See Boultel.

Bow"wow` (, n. An onomatopoetic name for a dog or its bark. -- a. Onomatopoetic; as, the bowwow theory of language; a bowwow word. [Jocose.]

Bow"yer (, n. [From Bow, like lawyer from law.]

1. An archer; one who uses bow.

2. One who makes or sells bows.

Box (b, n. [As. box, L. buxus, fr. Gr. Box a case.] (Bot.) A tree or shrub, flourishing in different parts of the world. The common box (Buxus sempervirens) has two varieties, one of which, the dwarf box (B. suffruticosa), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, etc.

Box elder, the ash-leaved maple (Negundo aceroides), of North America. -- Box holly, the butcher's broom (Russus aculeatus). -- Box thorn, a shrub (Lycium barbarum). -- Box tree, the tree variety of the common box.

Box, n.; pl. Boxes ( [As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. b\'81chse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a tree, Bushel.] 1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes.

2. The quantity that a box contain.

3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement.

Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage.
Dorset.

The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges.
Dryden.

4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box.

Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks,
box.
J. Warton.

5. A small country house. \'bdA shooting box.\'b8 Wilson.

Tight boxes neatly sashed.
Cowper.

6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box.

7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing. (b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump.

8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach.

9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. \'bdA Christmas box.\'b8 Dickens.

10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands.

11. (Zo\'94l.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue.

Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox.

Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box. -- Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. -- Box chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position. -- Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. -- Box coupling, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. -- Box crab (Zo\'94l.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box. -- Box drain (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. -- Box girder (Arch.), a box beam. -- Box groove (Metal Working), a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another. R. W. Raymond. -- Box metal, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc. -- Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the right and the left. -- Box turtle Box tortoise (Zo\'94l.), a land tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys; -- so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person. Emerson. -- In a box, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) -- In the wrong box, out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.) Ridley (1554)

Box, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boxed (p. pr. & vb. n. Boxing.]

1. To inclose in a box.

2. To furnish with boxes, as a wheel.

3. (Arch.) To inclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to bring to a required form.

To box a tree, to make an incision or hole in a tree for the purpose of procuring the sap. -- To box off, to divide into tight compartments. -- To box up. (a) To put into a box in order to save; as, he had boxed up twelve score pounds. (b) To confine; as, to be boxed up in narrow quarters.

Box, n. [Cf.Dan. baske to slap, bask slap, blow. Cf. Pash.] A blow on the head or ear with the hand.

A good-humored box on the ear.
W. Irving.

Box, v. i. To fight with the fist; to combat with, or as with, the hand or fist; to spar.

Box, v. t. To strike with the hand or fist, especially to strike on the ear, or on the side of the head.

Box, v. t. [Cf.Sp. boxar, now spelt bojar.] To boxhaul.

To box off (Naut.), to turn the head of a vessel either way by bracing the headyards aback. -- To box the compass (Naut.), to name the thirty-two points of the compass in their order.

Box"ber`ry (, n. (Bot.) The wintergreen. (Gaultheria procumbens). [Local, U.S.]

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