birdbolt en · NOUN
Etymology
From bird + bolt.
Meanings
- A short blunt arrow for killing birds without piercing them.
-
(figuratively) Anything that smites without penetrating.
To be generous, / guiltless and of free disposition, is to take those / things for bird-bolts that you deem cannon-bullets:
c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, act 1, scene 5, lines 86–88:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bird-bolt | alternative | lexicographic | |
| birdbolts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (1)
de Vogelbolzen (blunt arrow for killing birds)