says it was 'sea wit,' whatever that may mean.
Adj. (studios').—Sombre, or dark in tint. Said of a painting exhibiting these characteristics.
Bohn, subs. (American College).—translation;
a pony (q.v.).
The volumes of Bohn's Classical
Library are in such general use
among undergraduates in American
Colleges, that Bohn has
come to be a common name for
a translation.
1855. Songs, Biennial Jubilee, Yale College. 'Twas plenty of skin with a good deal of bohn.
Boil, verb (old).—To betray; 'to Peach,' which see for synonyms.
1602. Rowlands, Greene's Coney Catchers, 16. His cloyer or follower fortwith boyles him, that is, bewrayes him. [m.]
1611. Mlddleton and Dekker, Roaring Girle, wks., 1873, III., 220. Wee are smoakt . . . wee are boyl'd, pox on her! [m.]
Boil Down, verb (popular).—To
reduce in bulk by condensing or
epitomizing. When a literary
work is reduced to smaller compass
by the presentation only of
the main or salient features, it
is said to be boiled down.
[The expression is a figurative
use (quite recent by-the-bye) of
boiling down in the sense of
lessening the bulk by boiling.]
1880. Sat. Review, No. 1288, 28. It is surprising to see how much research Mr. S. has sometimes contrived to boil down into a single line. [m.]
1885. G. Dolly, Dickens as I Knew Him, p. 125. The newspaper and political elements having been consulted, and their opinions having been boiled down.
1887. H. Frederic, in Scribn. Mag., I., 479. 'To boil down' columns of narrative into a few lines of bald, cold statement.
1888. Polytechnic Mag., 25 Oct., p. 258. Whatever you have to say, my friend, Whether witty, or grave, or gay— Condense as much as ever you can, And say in the readiest way; And whether you write on rural affairs, Or particular things in town, Just a word of friendly advice—boil it down.
Boiled Shirt, Biled Shirt or
Boiled Rag, subs. (American).—In
the West, biled shirt is the
odd name given to a shirt of
white linen, and it is not difficult
to see the line of reasoning from
which the term derives its significance.
In the active stirring
life of the West little count is
taken of the convenances of
civilization, and only on Sundays
and festive occasions would
the woollen undergarment be
discarded for the white linen
article. Indeed, in many cases,
the former would be worn until
it literally dropped to pieces.
Now white shirts are facetiously
known as biled shirts all over
the States, and only recently
(May, 1888) a question in dispute
between the employés of
the Chicago Tramway Companies
and the managers of the
same was whether the former
should wear, when on duty,
coloured or biled shirts. Cf.,
Bald-faced shirt.
1854. McClure, Rocky Mountains, p. 412. In order to attend the Governor's reception, I borrowed a boiled shirt, and plunged in with a Byron collar, and polished boots, and also the other necessary apparel.
1869. S. L. Clemens ('Mark Twain'), Innocents at Home, ch. xii. But they were rough in those times! . . . if a man wanted a fight on his hands without any annoying delay, all he had to do was to appear in public in a white shirt or a stove-pipe hat, and he would be accommodated. For those people hated aristocrats. They had a particular and
