bob¹ /bob/

1. To move quickly up and down or to and fro
2. To curtsy or bow quickly
3. (with for) to try to catch (a swinging or floating apple, etc) with one's teeth as a game
4. To ride a bobsleigh
5. To fish with a bob

1. To move in a short jerking manner
2. To tap
3. To perform, measure, do, etc (something) with a bob
4. To make a curtsy
5. To cut (hair) square across
6. To dock, to bobtail

1. A short jerking motion
2. A quick curtsy
3. Anything that moves with a bob or swing
4. The weight of a pendulum, plumb line, etc
5. A pendant (archaic)
6. A knot of hair
7. A short straight haircut for women and girls
8. A bunch or cluster (eg of cherries) (dialect)
9. A bunch of lobworms, used in catching eels
10. A bob-fly
11. Any small roundish body
12. The refrain or burden of a song (archaic)
13. A short line at or near the end of the stanza (poetry)
14. A bobsleigh
15. (in pl) the runners for a bobsleigh (N American)
16. A dance (Scot)
17. A slight blow (obsolete)
18. A gibe (obsolete)
19. (also plain bob) a term in bellringing, eg bob minor is rung on six bells, bob major on eight, bob royal on ten, bob maximus on twelve

bobbˈer noun

A float attached to a fishing-line

bobbˈish adjective

In good spirits

bobˈ-apple noun

The game of trying to catch a swinging or floating apple with one's teeth

bobˈcat noun

A kind of lynx

bobˈ-cherry noun

The game of trying to catch a swinging cherry with one's teeth

bobˈ-fly noun (angling)

The top dropfly

bob skate noun (N American)

An ice-skate with two parallel blades

bobˈsleigh or bobˈsled noun

1. A short sledge
2. A sleigh made up of two of these
3. A racing sledge for two or more people, with a continuous seat, steering mechanism, and brakes

intransitive verb

To ride or race on a bobsleigh

bobˈtail noun

1. A short or cut tail
2. An animal with a bobbed tail (also adjective)
3. Applied in contempt to the rabble, as in rag-tag and bobtail

transitive verb

To cut short

bobˈtailed adjective

With tail cut short

bobˈwheel noun (poetry)

The bob with the lines following it

bobˈwig noun

A wig with the ends turned up into short curls

bob up

To appear suddenly

plain¹ /plān/

1. Flat
2. Level
3. Even
4. Unobstructed
5. Without obscurity
6. Clear
7. Obvious
8. Simple
9. Downright, utter
10. Not ornate
11. Unembellished
12. Unvariegated
13. Uncoloured
14. Unruled
15. Without pattern, striation, markings, etc
16. Without gloss
17. Uncurled
18. Not twilled
19. (in knitting) denoting a straightforward stitch with the wool passed round the front of the needle (cf purl¹)
20. Not elaborate
21. Without addition
22. Not highly seasoned
23. Deficient in beauty
24. Ugly (euphemistic)
25. Without subtlety
26. Candid
27. Outspoken
28. Straightforward
29. Undistinguished
30. Ordinary
31. Other than a court card
32. Other than trumps

1. An extent of level land
2. The open country, esp as a field of battle or as a setting for pastoral or romantic literature (poetic)

1. Clearly
2. Distinctly

To make plain

plainˈish adjective

plainˈly adverb

plainˈness noun

plain bob see bob¹

plainˈchant noun

Plainsong

plain chocolate noun

Dark chocolate, made with some sugar added but without milk

plainˈclothes adjective

Wearing ordinary clothes, not uniform (eg of a policeman on detective work)

plain cook noun

Someone competent in plain cookery

plainˈ-cook intransitive verb

To practise plain cookery

plain cookery noun

The cooking of ordinary simple traditional dishes

plainˈ-darn transitive verb and intransitive verb

To darn with the ordinary cross pattern

plain dealer noun

A person who is candid and outspoken

plain dealing noun

plainˈ-dealing adjective

plain flour noun

Flour that is not mixed with a raising agent

plainˈ-heartˈed adjective

1. Having a plain or honest heart
2. Sincere

plainˈ-heartˈedness noun

plain Jane noun (derogatory informal)

A plain, dowdy girl

plainˈ-Jane adjective

1. Ordinary, unremarkable
2. Plain, esp of a garment

plain language noun

Straightforward, understandable language

plain loaf noun (Scot)

A batch loaf (qv under batch¹)

plain sailing noun

1. Sailing in open, unrestricted waters (nautical)
2. An easy, straightforward task, affair, etc (figurative)
3. See also plane sailing under plane¹

plainsˈman noun (pl plainsˈmen)

A dweller in a plain, esp in N America

plainˈsong noun

1. Unmeasured, unaccompanied music sung in unison in ecclesiastical modes from early times, and still in use in Roman Catholic and some Anglican churches
2. A simple melody
3. That to which a descant can be added

adjective (Shakespeare)

Singing a simple theme

plain speaking noun

Straightforwardness or bluntness of speech

plainˈ-spoken adjective

1. Plain, rough, and sincere
2. Frank, candid, esp if rather blunt

plainˈstanes plural noun (Scot)

Flagstones, pavement (also plainˈstones)

plain text noun (computing)

Text that is readable and uncoded

plain weave noun

A weave in which the weft is passed alternately under and over the warp

plainˈwork noun

Plain needlework, as distinguished from embroidery

plain as a pikestaff see under pike²

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