bobby pin

American  

noun

bobby pins plural

1. a flat, springlike metal hairpin having the prongs held close together by tension.

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bobby pin British  

noun

1. Brit terms: hairgrip.   kirby grip.  a metal hairpin bent in order to hold the hair in place

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bobby pins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bobby pin

1935–40, perhaps Bobby (proper name), by association with bobbed hair ( see bob ²), in which such pins are used

Example Sentences

She didn’t expect anyone to follow along, but suddenly, a video chronicling her first two trades – the bobby pin for a pair of pink earrings for three margarita glasses – started gaining traction.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 15, 2021

But there are threats that we haven’t evolved to perceive, and need to learn about, which is why your kid won’t eat broccoli but will happily toddle toward an electrical outlet, bobby pin in hand.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2020

Once handcuffed in a bathtub, he extracts a bobby pin from the tub’s drain using his tongue to free himself.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2020

If surgeons move the electrode by as little as the width of a bobby pin, they hold Frankensteinian power to play with a person’s emotions.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 14, 2018

“A lot of the girls aren’t into protesting or anything, but they’re all going to hate the metal detectors once they’re in. Every bobby pin they wear is going to set it off, right?”

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro