1749. ‘Honours of the Fleet,’ quoted in Ashton’s The Fleet, p. 286.
H’ had strain’d his credit for a Dram of Bob.
4. (military.)—An infantry soldier; generally light-bob, i.e., a
soldier of the light infantry. [This is probably an allusion to their
being enlisted with the Queen’s shilling or bob.] For synonyms, see
Mudcrusher.
1844. W. H. Maxwell, Sports and Adventures in Scotland, xxxv., 282.
Me, that never ... listened to a light-bob.
1848. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, ch. xxiv. Mr. Stubble, as may be
supposed from his size and slenderness, was of the light-bobs.
5. (Winchester College).—A large white jug containing about a gallon in
measure, and used for beer.
1870. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 85. Each end
and Præfect’s mess had their beer served up in a large white jug,
or ‘bob.’ The vessel used for the same purpose in Commoners’ was
called a ‘Joram.’
1888. T. A. Trollope, What I Remember. Only those ‘Juniors’
attended whose office it was to bring away the portions of bread
and cheese and bobs of beer for consumption in the afternoon.
Adj. (old).—Lively; nice; in good spirits.
1721. Cibber, Refusal, I., sp. 109. Yesterday at Marybone, they had
me all Bob as a Robin. [M.]
1864. Miss Yonge, Trial, I., 113. ‘That’s a nice girl’.... ‘Bobber
than bobtail.’ [M.]
Verb (old).—To cheat; to trick; to disappoint. Also to bob out of.
1605. Tryall Chev., I., in Bullen’s O. Plays, iii., 273. I had
rather dye in a ditch than be bobd of my fayre Thomasin.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Bob (v.), to jog, touch, or
give notice by some such like sign; also a cant word for to trick
or cheat.
Intj. (familiar).—Stop! That’s enough!
1889. Modern Society, June 6. ‘Say when,’ said Bonko, taking up a
flagon of whiskey and commencing to pour out the spirit into my
glass. ‘Bob!’ replied I.
Dry bob, phr. (old).—Fruitless coition.
Dry bob, Wet bob, subs. (Eton College).—The first-named is one who
devotes himself to cricket or football and other land sports; the
latter one who goes in for rowing and aquatics generally. The origin of
the term is doubtful.—See Dry bob and Wet bob.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, p. 42. ‘It is settled, the match
to-morrow shall be between Aquatics and Dry bobs,’ said a senior
boy.
1874. Saturday Review, Aug., p. 212. The friendly rivalry between
England and America led some while ago to a contest between the wet
bobs, to use an Eton phrase, of either country, and it was only
fair that the dry bobs should show what they could do.
All is bob, phr. (old).—All’s safe; ‘serene’; ‘gay.’ For synonyms, see
O.K.
1785. Grose, Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. [All’s bob is defined
as foregoing.]
1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard, p. 12. A moment
afterwards, the street was illumined by a blaze of torchlight, and
a tumultuous uproar announced the arrival of the first detachment
of Minters. Mr. Wood rushed instantly to meet them. ‘Hurrah!’
shouted he, waving his hat triumphantly over his head. ‘Saved!’
‘Ay, ay, it’s all bob, my covey! You’re safe enough, that’s
certain!’ responded the Minters.
Bear a bob! phr. (common).—Be brisk! look sharp!
Bob a nod, phr. (common.)—A shilling a head. [From bob, slang for
shilling, + nod, the head.]
To give the bob, phr. (old).—To give the door. An old term used by
Massinger—‘It can be no other but to give me the bob.’
S’help me bob, phr. (low).—A street oath, equivalent to ‘So help me
God’; a corrupted form of the legal oath. ‘So help’ is pronounced
swelp. There are several variants, such as s’help the cat—my greens—the
taturs, etc.
1837. Barham, I. L. (Dead Drummer).
For his jaw-work would never, I’m sure, s’elp me bob,
Have come for to go for to do sich a job!
1880. Jas. Payn, Confid. Agent, ch. xix. ‘Not another word will I
say, s’help me bob.’ And John rolled over in his bed like an
indignant porpoise.
To shift one’s bob, phr. (common).—To go away. Cf., Bobbing around, ‘to
go expeditiously from place to place.’
Bobber, subs. (common).—1. A fellow-workman; mate; or ‘chum’ (q.v. for
synonyms).
1860. W. White, Round Wrekin, 34. Bobber being the equivalent of
chum. [M.]
1871. Daily News, May 19. As he sells these, the buyers or their
bobbers carry them off. [M.]