Bear a bob, verbal phr. (nautical).—1. To lend a hand; look sharp! look alive!
2. (popular.)—To aid, to assist, to take part in anything.
Bearded Cad, subs. (Winchester
College).—A porter, employed
by the College to convey luggage
from the railway station to the
school. The term originated
in an extremely hirsute individual,
who, at one time, acted in
the capacity.
Beard-Splitter, subs. (old).—A
man much given to the company
of prostitutes; nowadays
called a hot member, or molrower,
which see for synonyms.
[From beard, a tuft of hair +
splitter, one who divides.
The allusion is obvious.]
Bearer-Up.—See Bear up and
Bonnet.
Bear-Garden Jaw, subs. (old).—Rough,
unmannerly speech;
talk akin to that used in bear
gardens and other places of low
resort. Quoted by Grose, 1785.
[From bear-garden, a place set
apart for bear baiting and other
rough sports + jaw, talk or
speech.]
1848. John Forster, Life of Oliver Goldsmith, bk. IV., chap. xi. He called Burke a bear-garden railer.
1871. Archibald Forbes, My Experience of the War between France and Germany, p. 301. The bear-garden-like Babel was rather more noisy than usual.
Be-Argered, adj. (familiar).—Drunk.
Bearing, ppl. adj. (Stock Exchange).—Acting
as a bear
(q.v.); or using artifices to lower
the price of stock to suit a
'bear' account.
Bearings. To bring one to
one's bearings, verbal phr.
(colloquial).—To bring one to
reason; to act as a check. A
nautical term.
Bear-Leader, subs. (old).—A
travelling tutor. In the days
when it was customary to send
'young hopefuls' on the Grand
Tour, the expression was much
more common and significant
than is nowadays the case. The
simile is taken from a person
who leads about a tame bear
for exhibition.
1749. Walpole, Lett. to Mann, 4 June (1883), vol. II., p. 392. I shall not wonder if she takes me for his bear-leader, his travelling governor!
1756. Foote, Englishman Returned from Paris, Act i. Serv. My young master's travelling tutor, sir, just arrived. Crab. . . . Shew him in. This bear-leader, I reckon now, is either the clumsy curate of the knight's own parish church, or some needy highlander.
1812. Combe, Dr. Syntax, Tour 1 ch. xxiii.
And as I almost wanted bread, I undertook a bear to lead, To see the brute perform his dance Through Holland, Italy, and France; But it was such a very Bruin, . . . . . . . . I took my leave, and left the cub Some humbler Swiss to pay and drub.
1848. Thackeray, Book of Snobs, ch. vii. They pounced upon the stray nobility, and seized young lords travelling with their bear-leaders.
Bearskin-Jobber, subs. (Stock
Exchange).—See Bear, subs.,
sense 1.
Bear Up, verb (common).—To
cheat; to swindle in any way;
more particularly applied to
the action of 'decoys' and
