First recorded in 1550–60; earlier bilbow < ?
1585–95; short for Bilboa blade sword made in Bilboa (variant of Bilbao )
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The French marine still use a kind of leg-iron of the bilbo type.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various
Hence Falstaff describes himself in the buck-basket as— "Compassed, like a good bilbo, in the circumference of a peck, hilt to point, heel to head."
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
Sir John and master mine, I combat challenge of this latten bilbo.
From The Merry Wives of Windsor The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] by Glover, John, librarian of Trinity College, Cambridge
A Spanish bilbo, to lock the English by the legs.
From City Scenes or a peep into London by Darton, William
Shakspeare humorously describes Falstaff in the buck-basket, like a good bilbo, coiled hilt to point.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
