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bobbery

[bob-uh-ree]
noun, plural bob·ber·ies.
  1. a disturbance; brawl.
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Origin of bobbery

First recorded in 1810–20, bobbery is from the Hindi word bāp re O father!
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bobbery

Historical Examples

  • The tall fellow denied it, and there was a devil of a bobbery.

    Jacob Faithful

    Captain Frederick Marryat

  • Why did you want to kick up a bobbery, when everything was so nice and peaceful?

    Patty's Friends

    Carolyn Wells

  • I'm not going to kick up a bobbery now when I'm given back my spurs.

  • I durst not ask either father or mother after the bobbery we've had.

    Olla Podrida

    Frederick Marryat

  • Skunks will often prove a great bother, as they take all kinds of bait and kick up no end of a "bobbery" when caught.

    Fox Trapping

    A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

British Dictionary definitions for bobbery

bobbery

noun plural -beries
  1. Also called: bobbery pack a mixed pack of hunting dogs, often not belonging to any of the hound breeds
  2. informal a noisy commotion
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adjective
  1. informal noisy or excitable
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Word Origin

C19: from Hindi bāp re, literally: oh father!
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012