subs. (old: now recognised).—Anybody or anything wearisome or annoying. As verb = to weary, or to be wearied (in quot. 1781 = a slow clumsy fellow): cf. SHAKESPEARE, King Henry VIII., i. 1. ‘At this instant he BORES me with some trick’ (i.e., wound, and hence metaphorically to torment); possibly an eye should be kept on boor = Hollander, but see quots.
1602. Thomas, Lord Cromwell, iii, 2. One that hath gulled you, that hath BORED [? sense] you, sir.
1661. Merry Drollery [EBSWORTH], 282. [The word BOOR is used in scorn].
1682. A Supplement to the Last Will and Test. of Anthony, Earl of Shaftesbury (DAVIES).
| My Lungs (my Ignoramus Friends) is yours; | |
| But for my leights, I leave ’em to the BORES. | |
| [? sense; possibly a pun on BOER = Hollander.] |
1783. BURGOYNE, The Lord of the Manor, i. A spring of the chaise broke at the bottom of the hill; the boy was quite a BORE in tying it up, so I took out my luggage, and determined to walk home.
1781. BURNEY, Cecilia, I, viii. He is known by fifty names, said Mr. Monckton; his friends call him the moralist; the young ladies, the crazy man, the macaronis, the BORE.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. BORE … much in fashion about the year 1780–81; it vanished of a sudden without leaving a trace behind[!].
1809. MALKIN, Gil Blas (ROUTLEDGE), 84. You are a very great BORE.
1812. COMBE, Dr. Syntax, I, vi.
| Learning’s become a very BORE— | |
| That fashion long since has been o’er. |
1814. AUSTEN, Mansfield Park, ix. Seeing a great house … is generally allowed to be the greatest BORE in the world.
1859. ALBERT, PRINCE CONSORT, Speech at Aberdeen, 14 Sept. Bodies of men who will bring the well-considered and understood wants of science before the public and the Government, who will even hand round the begging-box, and expose themselves to refusals and rebuffs to which all beggars are liable, with the certainty besides, of being considered great BORES. Please to recollect that this species of BORE is a most useful animal, well adapted for the ends for which nature intended him.
Verb. 1. See subs.
2. (sporting).—To push (or thrust) out of a course; BORING = the practice of ‘boring.’ Amongst pugilists, it signifies to drive an opponent on to the ropes of the ring by sheer weight; amongst rowing men it denotes the action of coxswain in so steering a boat as to force his opponent into the shore, or into still water, thus obtaining an unfair advantage; also applied to horse-racing.
1672. VANBRUGH, The Lovers Quarrel [HAZLITT, Remains of the Early Popular Poetry of England, II. 266], 317. He BOR’D him out of the Saddle fair.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress.
| While M—rl—y, that very great Count, stood deploring | |
| He had n’t taught Georgy his new modes of BORING. |
1821. The Fancy, I., 255. Evans BORED in, and upset his man in the first round.
1870. DICKENS, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, xvii., 129. Their fighting code stood in great need of revision, as empowering them not only to BORE their man to the ropes, but … also to hit him when he was down.
