bicyclen.
/ˈbʌɪsᵻkl/, U.S. /ˈbaɪˌsɪkəl/, /ˈbaɪsᵻkəl/ A vehicle having two wheels held one behind the other in a frame, typically propelled by a seated rider using pedals, and steered by means of handlebars at the front. Also: this as a form of transport. Cf. bike n.2, cycle n.2The term was first applied to a kind of two-wheeled velocipede with pedals fitted directly to the slightly larger front wheel (the wheels having iron tyres), but was more generally used in the 1870s for the high-wheeled ordinary (ordinary n. 13b) or penny farthing, which, having solid rubber tyres and one very large wheel at the front, was more comfortable than the velocipede and required less effort to achieve faster speeds. The low-wheeled safety bicycle (see safety n. Compounds 3), similar in design to most bicycles today, with two equal-sized wheels, a diamond-shaped frame, chain-driven rear wheel, and pneumatic tyres, followed in the late 1870s and led to a huge worldwide boom in cycling. Further improvements such as more complex gears and steel alloy frames were introduced in the 20th cent.exercise, motor, push, racing, safety bicycle, etc.: see the first element.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > bicycle
bicycle1868
steed1877
bike1880
jigger1897
push-cycle1905
push bicycle1906
pushbike1910
grid1922
mangle1941
recumbent1968
MTB1988
1868 Daily News 7 Sept. 3/2 Bysicles and trysicles which we saw in the Champs Elysées and Bois de Boulogne this summer.
1868 Suppl. to Connecticut Courant 26 Dec. 212/1 The two wheel velocipedes, the bicycles as they are styled, are intended for the male sex only.
1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) iii. 734/2 The prices of bicycles increase with the size of the wheel, but a painted machine with a driving wheel 50 inches high should not cost more than 13l.
1897 R. Luce Going Abroad? iv. 59 Touring by bicycle gives more pleasure and added profit, while fostering health.
1913 M. P. Willcocks Will to Live ii. x. 332 Flying down the hills on her bicycle, with feet on the rests and skirt fluttering behind her.
1935 C. Porter Me & Marie in Compl. Lyrics C. Porter 137 We hop on a bicycle built for two and go scorching down to the sea.
1955 Life 9 May 128/1 (advt.) High carbon steel tubing gives Raleighs ‘aircraft’ lightness yet greater strength than..heavier, clumsier bicycles.
2011 New Yorker 14 Feb. 60/1 (advt.) Copenhagen ranks among the greenest cities in the world, with close to 40% of its population commuting by bicycle.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive, appositive, and objective, as bicycle factory, bicycle manufacturer, etc.
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1869 Burlington (Iowa) Hawk-eye 3 Feb. McNair & Jordan, of Davenport, have a genuine bicycle velocipede.
1886 Cyclist 25 Aug. 1194/1 Wanted, a good bicycle fitter, able to do his own brazing.
1926 E. Hemingway Sun also Rises xix. 247 I had coffee..with the team manager of one of the big bicycle manufacturers.
1943 Economist 24 July 110/2 The largest bicycle factory has had to close down because of the lack of materials.
1967 N. Freeling Strike Out 40 Here on shelves was presentation silver..for Rob was the best bicycle champion Holland had had.
1983 N.Y. Times 28 Sept. b2/5 A policeman told him all the bicycle stunts for which he was known on the block were considered reckless driving.
1999 Alumnus (National Univ. of Singapore) July 19/2 Those bicycle-makers using their products can be sure that the cyclists are not likely to lose balance when changing speeds.
2003 RCM & E (Radio Control Models & Electronics) Dec. 16/1 Everyone is celebrating the great achievements of the flying bicycle-builders from Ohio.
b.
bicycle club n.
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1869 Bury & Norwich Post 16 Feb. 5/2 Bicycle clubs might be formed in the large towns corresponding to boating, and skating clubs.
1919 Boys' Life May 74 There's nothing like a bicycle club for jolly good fun—good pals—and good companionship.
2011 J. Tal Strategy & Statistics in Clin. Trials viii. 97 You need to demonstrate a positive relationship between parents' membership in bicycle clubs and children's tendency to ride a bicycle.
bicycle race n.
ΚΠ
1869 J. T. Goddard Velocipede 100 A vote was passed, offering premiums for bicycle races, at the next exhibition and fair.
1960 Life 8 Aug. 62/2 The competitors of the 22-day Tour de France pedaled on,..ignoring the flesh-tearing falls that make this bicycle race one of the worlds most punishing endurance tests.
2010 Cathedral Music May 15/2 A hair-raising bicycle race through the traffic-dense city streets.
bicycle racing n.
ΚΠ
1869 Liverpool Mercury 17 July 1/2 (advt.) Hurdle racing, footracing, bicycle racing.
1928 E. Hemingway Men without Women 190 In a pursuit race, in bicycle racing, riders start at equal intervals to ride after one another.
2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 26 Dec. viii. 11/5 On Jan. 1, the structure of professional bicycle racing will change fundamentally.
bicycle rack n.
ΚΠ
1893 N.-Y. Times 8 Oct. 12/1 There is a bicycle rack for ladies on the Brevoort side.
1946 Prairie Schooner 20 91 She walked..past the schoolhouse with the new swings for the children and the new bicycle rack.
2006 A. De Botton Archit. of Happiness (2008) v. 195 The Institute of Journalism in Eichstätt had a courtyard in the middle, empty save for a flower bed and a bicycle rack.
bicycle ride n.
ΚΠ
1869 Wrexham & Denbighshire Advertiser 16 Oct. 4/5 Bicycle ride.—On Saturday last, Mr S. Hubert Owen..essayed a trip to Wrexham on his bicycle.
1918 H. G. Wells Joan & Peter xi. 391 They had long bicycle rides together.
2003 Independent 30 Aug. (Mag.) 41/1 Your legs are still shaking and your seat is still smarting from the distant memory of your last bicycle ride.
bicycle rider n.
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1869 Boston Daily Advertiser 3 Mar. 1/8 Horticultural Hall will be given up to the bicycle riders today.
1936 Times 3 June 16/2 She was..concerned to reassure the terrified young bicycle rider who had run her down.
2009 Rotarian Oct. 37 The snaking mass of bicycle riders whizzing through the parks.
bicycle riding n.
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1869 Liverpool Mercury 20 Apr. 6/3 His first essay at bicycle riding.
1911 A. Bierce Devil's Dict. in Coll. Wks. VII. 323 A noted female reformer who opposed bicycle-riding by women because it ‘led them to the devil’.
2011 Amer. Consumer News (Nexis) 9 May For those who live within five miles of the office, bicycle riding is a viable option to not only save time and money, but also to reduce their carbon footprints.
bicycle tour n.
ΚΠ
1869 Pall Mall Gaz. 30 Mar. 8/2 This is stated to be the longest bicycle tour yet made in this country.
1937 M. Y. Gaffey & E. W. McAdoo Woodrow Wilsons 53 That summer she persuaded him to take a bicycle tour through England and Scotland.
1996 F. Popcorn & L. Marigold Clicking ii. 266 Organizations..have sprung up to sponsor camping trips..[and] bicycle tours..for people over age 55.
2000 U.S. News & World Rep. 24 July 12/2 A..bicycle tour of the Jersey Shore.
bicycle trade n.
ΚΠ
1870 Birmingham Daily Post 25 Aug. 3/4 Wanted, a youth, used to the Bicycle Trade.
1943 Pop. Mech. Nov. 68/2 Most of the pioneer airplane builders grew out of the bicycle trade.
2000 Technol. & Culture 41 310 Two thousand individuals made their living in the bicycle trade.
C2.
a. attributive. Designating a component part or accessory of a bicycle, as bicycle handlebar, bicycle saddle, bicycle seat, bicycle wheel, etc.
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1869 Liverpool Mercury 25 Mar. 2/6 (advt.) Two bicycle wheels for Sale, well made, painted and varnished.
1875 Sporting Gaz. 24 July 730/3 (advt.) Bicycle Saddles, 5s. 6d. Every requisite for Bicycles at Boden's Depôt.
1892 Middletown (N.Y.) Daily Press 27 July 3/2 He is the patentee and manufacturer of the well known Garford bicycle seat.
1920 E. Ferber Half Portions ix. 289 He rigged up a shelf-like device on his bicycle handlebars.
1947 Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Va.) 28 Oct. 4/1 A Minnesota motorist..conceived the idea of covering bicycle frames with..a material used on reflectorized highway signs.
1995 B. Bryson Notes from Small Island (1996) xxv. 304 Among much else we owe the Scots are whisky, raincoats, rubber wellies, the bicycle pedal, the telephone, tarmac, penicillin [etc.].
2007 New Yorker 26 Nov. 60/2 Why don't you get him that handcrafted Brooks bicycle seat he's desperate for?
b.
bicycle bell n.
ΚΠ
1875 Sporting Gaz. 24 July 730/3 (advt.) Bicycle bells, 1s. each.
1935 T. Wolfe Of Time & River vii. ci. 897 The thring of the bicycle bells.
2008 Free Press (Kinston, N. Carolina) 7 July a5/2 Cars and buses..drowning out the tinkle of bicycle bells.
bicycle lamp n.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > lamp
bicycle lamp1870
1870 Pall Mall Gaz. 6 Apr. 2/2 A horse.., seeing the light of the bicycle lamp, swerved towards the kerb.
1900 Scribner's Mag. Feb. 65 (advt.) Our Acetylene Bicycle Lamp is superior to any yet offered.
2003 Movers & Shakers (Ultimate Business Libr.) 251 The product that kept the company going..was a battery powered bicycle lamp shaped like a bullet.
bicycle light n.
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1884 Rep. 15th Exhib. Mass. Charitable Mechanic Assoc. 222 These chemically prepared carbon wicks are used for..carriage and bicycle lights.
1895 Munsey's Mag. Sept. 577/2 On a summer night when the moon is up..and bicycle lights glide by in streams.
1972 A. Price Col. Butler's Wolf vii. 68 His headlight 'ud pick up the first of the reflectors. Even my bicycle light picks 'em up.
2006 G. Lee Le Tour de Pudge 33 Bicycle lights help drivers see you... You need a white light on the front..and a flashing red on the back.
bicycle tyre n.
ΚΠ
1875 Subject-matter Index Patents 1874 96/2 Endless round bands for bicycle tyres.
1907 M. F. Sueter Evol. Submarine Boat, Mine & Torpedo (ed. 2) xxiii. 336 A puncture in a bicycle tyre shows how instantaneous the expansion of air is, as the tyre is flat in a fraction of a second.
2000 L. G. Austin Mountain Bike! N. Calif. (2003) 7 Bicycle tires leave ruts in wet trails.
C3. attributive. Designating clothing or footwear designed to be worn while cycling, as bicycle cap, bicycle shoe, etc. See also bicycle shorts n. at Compounds 4, bicycle helmet n. at Compounds 4.
ΚΠ
1876 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 8 Feb. 5/1 A boy..had on dark trousers, vest, and jacket,..with belt, bicycle cap, leather leggings.
1892 Christian Union 5 Mar. 448/1 I was so fortunate as to obtain a nice pair of bicycle trousers.
1901 Ainslee's Mag. Mar. 158/1 They had very low heels and the soles were grooved, as are those of bicycle shoes.
1940 Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois) 19 Sept. 74/3 He wore racing trunks, sweater and heavy bicycle gloves.
1999 M. Lee Alien Child 205 They didn't leave until she took her bicycle shoes out of the desk drawer and started changing her shoes.
2012 Cycling Erie Canal 122 Most bicycle jerseys and shorts are made from synthetic materials, allowing the breeze you generate to sweep away your perspiration.
C4.
bicycle basket n. †(a) a large wicker crate for transporting a bicycle (obsolete); (b) a basket or container mounted on the handlebars, or on a carrier above the back wheel of a bicycle, used for carrying things.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > basket > [noun] > on a bicycle
bicycle basket1896
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > other parts of cycles
saddle1819
saddle pin1836
rest1855
pillion1878
Arab spring1880
carrier1885
coaster1895
bicycle basket1896
pacemaker1896
steering lock1897
headset1898
flapper-seat1916
stand1918
kick-stand1947
sissy bar1959
stabilizers1960
1896 C.T.C. Monthly Gaz. May 223/2 A cutting from this month's Army and Navy Stores list, giving just such a wicker crate as she enquires for. ‘Bicycle Basket, Wicker for Travelling... To take machine with pedals on, the handle-bar to be turned round.’
1896 Hearth & Home 25 June 256/3 The Home Arts and Industries Association..present the Princess of Wales with a bicycle basket.
1923 R. Macaulay Told by Idiot x. 97 Her bicycle basket was full of primroses.
2009 Florida Keys Keynoter (Nexis) 4 Mar. Their purses were stolen from their bicycle baskets by a man who approached from behind.
bicycle chain n. a chain, now generally a roller chain, that transmits the driving power from the pedals of a bicycle to its rear wheel; (also) a length of such chain.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > chain
roller1863
bicycle chain1889
bike chain1897
ring1974
1889 Eng. Mechanic & World of Sci. 29 Mar. 97/1 Bicycle Chain.—To clean, boil it in soda and water, put on the machine, and re-oil.
1899 W. James Talks to Teachers 222 Just as a bicycle-chain may be too tight, so may one's carefulness and conscientiousness be so tense as to hinder the running of one's mind.
1955 P. Sillitoe Cloak without Dagger xiv. 128 Both gangs used hatchets, swords, and sharpened bicycle chains.
2000 Daily Oklahoman (Nexis) 20 Feb. 6 Make sure that shoelaces don't become tangled in the bicycle chain causing a child to fall.
bicycle clip n. each of a pair of open-ended clips that encircle the upper ankle, used to prevent a cyclist's trouser-legs from getting caught in the bicycle chain.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > bicycle clip
cycle clip1886
bicycle clip1898
bike clip1940
1898 Amer. Druggist & Pharmaceut. Rec. 25 Mar. 176/1 It's a wonder you wouldn't take the bicycle clips off your trousers before shaking hands with the President.
a1930 D. H. Lawrence Mod. Lover (1934) 288 Do you think he'd flown over, with bicycle-clips round his trouser-ankles and spots of mud on his nose?
2010 Journal (Newcastle) (Nexis) 17 Aug. a31 For a short cycle to work there's no need to go all out on special clothes... Waterproofs, a helmet, bicycle clips,..are all extras to consider.
bicycle courier n. a courier who uses a bicycle to transport and deliver communications, packages, etc.
ΚΠ
1879 Standard 18 Jan. 3/7 Baker..has volunteered to assist the party as bicycle courier, and will run ahead to telegraph stations, hotels, &c.
1923 N.Y. Times 26 May 1/1 The Dortmund police have arrested three Russian agitators who were apparently acting as bicycle couriers.
1981 Globe & Mail (Nexis) 18 June Whenever you see bicycle couriers on delivery in downtown Toronto, say a little prayer for them.
2012 D. D. Barant Back from Undead iv. 50 Packs of three or four roam together down the streets, darting and weaving through the traffic like suicidal bicycle couriers.
bicycle ergometer n. a stationary bicycle with an ergometer to measure work done by the exerciser; cf. exercise bicycle n. at exercise n. Additions.
ΚΠ
1901 W. O. Atwater & H. C. Sheridan Effect Severe & Prolonged Muscular Work on Food Consumption 53 The ideal experiment would be made in a respiration calorimeter with a bicycle ergometer to show the balance of income and outgo of energy as well as material.
1967 Canad. Med. Assoc. Jrnl. 7 Oct. 901/2 The patients exercised on a bicycle ergometer in a supine position at an energy level of 25 watts for 10 minutes.
1990 Ironman Oct. 95/2 The subjects' anaerobic power was also determined by having them pedal a bicycle ergometer (stationary bicycle) against extreme resistance for 60 seconds.
2005 A. Trombley Serious Mountain Biking ix. 142 The highest observed heart rate is then considered your HR max. To be as precise as possible, it is best to do this test on a bicycle ergometer or a CompuTrainer rather than do it as a field test.
bicycle gymkhana n. now rare an event or competition where cyclists take part in games and contests.
ΚΠ
1896 Daily Tel. 21 Aug. 5 The Duke and Duchess..were present..at a bicycle gymkhana in the grounds.
1998 Bristol Evening Post (Nexis) 23 June 5 The bicycle gymkhana was one of the attractions.
bicycle helmet n. a hat or helmet worn when cycling, now esp. a light safety helmet; cf. cycle helmet n. at cycle n.2 Compounds 4.
ΚΠ
1885 North-eastern Daily Gaz. (Middlesbrough) 3 June (advt.) New tweed and felt bicycle helmets.
1979 U.S. News & World Rep. 20 Aug. 69 To avoid traffic injuries, which befall thousands of cyclists each year, wear a bicycle helmet.
2006 P. Stearns Amer. Fear xi. 209 Safety devices multiplied, as part of this parental approach: not only bicycle helmets, but baby-proof bottle caps, [etc.].
bicycle kick n. Sport a kick in which one leg is moved in front of the other in the air; esp. (Association Football) an overhead kick, typically executed with the feet off the ground and often involving a shot at goal.
ΚΠ
1930 Chester (Pa.) Times 3 Mar. 13/3 It was the steady striding of McKniff and Hollowell rather than the bicycle kick of Hickey that decided the issue.
1956 Times of India 4 Mar. 12/1 One remembers Leonidas, The Black Diamond, with his aerial bicycle kick.
1960 Times 21 Nov. 4/4 R. F. Jackson was essaying an overhead bicycle kick at goal.
2003 Daily Mirror 29 Jan. 45/3 Gudjohnsen met the ball with a stunning bicycle-kick to send it flying into the bottom corner.
bicycle lane n. a lane, typically on or alongside a road, that is reserved for cyclists, or on which cyclists have priority over other traffic; cf. bicycle path n., bike lane n. at bike n.2 Compounds 4.
ΚΠ
1927 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 5 Oct. 3/2 Road building and maintenance in France includes the upkeep of ‘trottoirs cyclables’, or bicycle lanes.
1971 N.Y. Times 12 Oct. 28/3 Mr Clingan's bill..would require the Traffic Commissioner to prepare..a plan for special bicycle lanes in all of the city's boroughs.
1994 Guardian 21 Oct. ii. 8/1 In Toronto, bicycle lanes have been widened.
2011 Wall St. Jrnl. 12 Sept. r5/1 Green-city planners do even more, designing streets so that walking is safe..and providing separate designated bicycle lanes.
bicycle messenger n. originally U.S. a messenger or courier who uses a bicycle to transport and deliver communications, packages, etc.
ΚΠ
1886 Leeds Mercury 18 Sept. [Messages] were sent..by bicycle messenger to the police-office, Barnsley.
1942 H. Abend Ramparts of Pacific v. 48 The women of New Zealand are playing an important part in the war effort... Hundreds..are driving cars and trucks and acting as bicycle messengers.
2001 National Post (Canada) 11 Apr. b5/3 Culley..was..a bicycle messenger in Chicago. He has survived crashes into cab doors, knee and shoulder injuries.
bicycle motocross n. the organized racing of robust small-wheeled bicycles on a dirt-track or cross-country course, esp. as an organized sport for young people; = BMX n.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing with vehicles > bicycle race > [noun] > types of
century1883
pursuit1897
madison1927
omnium1947
pursuiter1951
cyclo-cross1953
keirin1957
kermesse1963
bicycle motocross1973
cyclosportive1999
alley cat2003
sportive2005
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing with vehicles > bicycle race > [adjective] > type of
omnium1947
bicycle motocross1973
BMX1978
1973 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 31 Mar. c 3/1 A bicycle motocross race will be held over the same track.
1974 Pop. Mech. Mar. 192 (heading) Bicycle motocross: new two-wheel sport.
1990 Seattle Times 24 Aug. c7/5 He has decided to retire, turning the bicycle-motocross track over to Mike Raich, a Seattle schoolteacher.
2010 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman (Nexis) 9 July (Business section) b7 BMX Hall of Famer Cash Matthews, an Austin resident who is credited nationally with helping establish and promote the sport of bicycle motocross.
bicycle path n. a path for the (exclusive) use of cyclists, now esp. one alongside a road; cf. bicycle lane n., cycle path n. at cycle n.2 Compounds 4.
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society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > for bicycles
bicycle path1875
cycleway1884
bike path1895
bikeway1895
cycle path1896
1875 Hampshire Advertiser 22 Sept. 4/3 The course was round the grounds, on the bicycle path.
1935 E. Huntington & S. van Valkenburg Europe i. iv. 59 Bicycle paths cross the rolling heath.
1985 City Cyclist (Toronto) Summer 3/2 The existence of an adjacent bicycle path is no justification for the exclusion of bicycles from a road.
2000 K. Reichs Deadly Décisions xiii. 106 The island's..private homes and high-rise apartments are tastefully integrated with..strip malls, bicycle paths and carefully tended green spaces.
bicycle polo n. a sport resembling polo, in which bicycles are used instead of horses; (also) a similar game without mallets, in which players use the wheels of their bicycles to hit the ball into the goal (now rare).
ΚΠ
1889 Morning Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) 22 Nov. 5/1 An Oregon Bicycle Polo Club will be formed.
1893 Cycling 23 Dec. 429/2 Bicycle polo... A polo match on bicycles has been played at Dublin... The sticks used by the players are somewhat shorter than those adopted by the pony riders.
1897 Today 4 Sept. 157/1 Crystal Palace, where the only team of bicycle polo players is now engaged... Not only does the spectator miss the ponies, but he also misses the sticks.
1908 Moving Picture World 3 409/2 Bicycle polo... Note the skillful way that they manipulate the ball with the wheels of their bicycles.
1971 Life 30 July 31/3 (caption) A weekend game of bicycle polo... Some players saw off the right handlebar to give..more room to swing the mallet.
2011 Gravesend Reporter (Nexis) 19 May The world's leading exponents in the weird and wonderful sport of Bicycle Polo will do battle as Vigo hosts a leg of the Bike Polo European Cup.
bicycle pump n. a pump (typically a hand pump) used to inflate the tyres of a bicycle.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > accessories
bicycle pump1892
bike pump1896
saddlebag1920
pannier bag1939
1892 Yenowine's Illustr. News (Milwaukee) 7 May 7/2 A bicycle pump..superior to any now on the market.
1936 Punch 10 June 646/1 Some flaming person has gone and stolen my flaming bicycle-pump!
2005 T. Downs Bicycling Guide to Compl. Bicycle Maintenance & Repair 45 You can use a standard bicycle pump, but it's best to use a special suspension pump.
bicycle rickshaw n. (in early use) a bicycle with a seat mounted on wheels attached at the rear; (now, usually known as a cycle rickshaw) a type of tricycle with a covered seat behind the driver for passengers, used as a form of transport for public hire; a pedicab.The latter vehicle was originally used as a taxi in China, and South and South-East Asia, but is now becoming popular in major cities around the world, typically for sightseeing.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > pedalled rickshaw
bicycle rickshaw1900
pedicab1922
trishaw1946
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles (plying) for hire > [noun] > rickshaw > pedal-operated
bicycle rickshaw1900
rickshaw1900
pedicab1922
trishaw1946
1900 Everybody's Mag. Nov. 488 A bicycle rickshaw..is becoming popular in England.
1960 A. Koestler Lotus & Robot i. i. 78 The bicycle-rickshaw—whose half-starved operator must pedal single-legged up to four passengers.
2008 L. Weinstein & J. A. Adam Guesstimation v. 99 What are the relative costs of fuel..of New York City bicycle rickshaws (human-pedaled taxis) and of automobiles?
bicycle-share n. = bicycle-sharing n.
ΚΠ
2007 Gazette (Montreal) 23 May a7/5 About $60,000..will be spent on a free bicycle-share initiative that is to operate from June 14 to Sept. 14. Dubbed Bécikvert, the project will make a fleet of 20 bicycles available for public use.
2012 N.Y. Mag. 6 Aug. 55 The imminent launch of the Citi Bike bicycle-share system.
2018 East Bay (Calif.) Times (Nexis) 13 Nov. Add bike lanes, lockers and racks and implement bicycle share at various locations.
bicycle-sharing n. the practice of making bicycles available for shared use, esp. through a self-service rental scheme in which people hire bicycles for short-term use within a town or city; frequently (and in earliest use) as a modifier.
ΚΠ
1997 Port Arthur (Texas) News 16 Feb. 4 a/2 A 3-week-old bicycle-sharing program has been..a hit.
1999 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 17 Sept. First there was car sharing, now it is bicycle sharing. By year-end, some HDB residents will be able to try out bicycles operated using smart cards.
2018 Sun (Nexis) 16 Sept. 47 Velib is a public bicycle-sharing scheme similar to ours in London... You key your bank card details into a machine on the street..then pick up a ticket and choose the bike you want.
bicycle shed n. a shed or building for storing bicycles when not in use, esp. at a school or workplace; behind the bicycle shed(s), used with reference to this as a place of seclusion at a school in which pupils typically pursue prohibited activities such as smoking, fighting, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > storage of bicycles
bicycle shed1875
bike shed1899
1875 Bell's Life in London 30 Oct. 9/6 One room should be turned into a bicycle-shed.
1909 Chatterbox 194/1 Each fought Roberts in turn behind the bicycle-shed.
1932 Times Educ. Suppl. 20 Aug. 318/1 Inexpensive bicycle sheds may..serve as shelters for the children against rainstorms.
1992 Independent 6 Aug. 10/5 For many smokers, the first taste of tobacco was behind the bicycle sheds at school.
2002 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 12 Nov. 23 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary plans to build bicycle sheds for workers who use the healthy travel option.
bicycle shorts n. originally and chiefly U.S. = cycling shorts n. at cycling n. Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
1933 Bakersfield Californian 28 Apr. 5/1 (advt.) New! Bicycle shorts.
1982 Washington Post (Nexis) 12 Jan. b3 His body was warmly packaged in, among other things, a pair of wool bicycle shorts.
2001 W. Hobson et al. Swim, Bike, Run iii. viii. 90 Bicycle shorts fit snugly for good reasons. Number one is aerodynamics, and number two is to enhance cooling.
bicycle taxi n. a bicycle or similar pedal-powered vehicle used to carry paying passengers; esp. a pedicab.
ΚΠ
1934 Oak Leaves (Oak park, Illinois) 11 Oct. 12/1 Nicestro..had the distinction of operating the first bicycle taxi in the village.
1940 Washington Post 22 Oct. 8/3 In Amsterdam, this couple is using a bicycle taxi on the way to church.
2011 A. Stevens Restorer xxi. 196 The bicycle taxi slowed to a crawl while his excited passengers snapped pictures with their cell phones.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
bicyclev.
/ˈbʌɪsᵻkl/, U.S. /ˈbaɪˌsɪkəl/, /ˈbaɪsᵻkəl/ 1. intransitive. To ride a bicycle; to travel by bicycle; to cycle. Cf. bike v.2 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > cycling > cycle [verb (intransitive)]
bicycle1869
cycle1878
wheel1884
bike1885
push-bike1914
1869 M. Hopkins Spirit, Soul & Body 12 He may yet, who knows? navigate the air, and..be seen careering and bicycling through it.
1877 Judy 26 Dec. 112/1 I have not yet swam across the Channel, or bicycled from Paris to Vienna.
1883 Harper's Mag. Apr. 692/2 Many enterprising souls..would have..bicycled, or canoed.
1917 P. G. Wodehouse Uneasy Money xv. 169 I saw a most corkingly pretty girl bicycling down to the village one morning.
1965 D. Rogers Boys & Ghouls Together i. 31 We've been bicycling around Europe for weeks and we're pretty tired.
2006 Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator (Nexis) 10 June d16 Somebody who wants to reduce his ‘carbon footprint’ can bicycle to work.
2. transitive. To travel (a route, region, etc.) by bicycle; to cover or traverse (a specified distance) by bicycle.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > cycling > cycle [verb (transitive)] > cover a distance by cycling
bicycle1874
cycle1882
bike1897
1874 York Herald 3 Sept. 8/6 Three gentlemen..have bicycled the road from Mansfield to Scarbro'.
1894 Outlook 10 Nov. 763/1 About three years afterward they rolled into New York on their wheels, having ‘put a girdle round the earth’, and having ‘bicycled’ over fifteen thousand miles.
1943 Rotarian Apr. 31/1 Beating the sun up every morning, Gwen bicycled three miles to a farm and there did chores.
1992 G. Crile Way it Was iv. 116 We bicycled the island from end to end and loved it.
2011 Tampa Tribune (Nexis) 31 Oct. 12 He was sweaty, hungry and exhausted, having just bicycled 450 miles.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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