Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In mining, the holing or undercutting of a thick seam, as of limestone, the height of the undercut being sufficient for a man to work therein.
  • noun In ceramics, the process by which a surface of color is made level and uniform.
  • noun The film of boiled oil thus spread over earthenware to hold the coloring materials.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of boss.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Basically, the idea is the same one behind the rise of Business Administration degrees at universities: There is a general science of bossing, which is broadly about manipulating money and to a lesser extent about manipulating people, and more specific knowledge of how to do things in any particular business is irrelevant.

    Peace, order and good government, eh?: September 2007 Archives 2007

  • And we all saw that Kate had a tendency of, you know, kind of bossing Jon around.

    CNN Transcript Jul 22, 2009 2009

  • The boys then perceived that Ruth's "bossing" was evidently a daily occurrence, a sort of family joke, and joined in laughing with old Mr. Everett, who seemed to take such keen delight in "saving his pride."

    The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers Claude A. Labelle

  • Felicity had a natural aptitude for what we called "bossing," and in her mother's absence she deemed that she had a right to rule supreme.

    The Story Girl Lucy Maud 1911

  • Felicity had a natural aptitude for what we called "bossing," and in her mother's absence she deemed that she had a right to rule supreme.

    The Story Girl 1908

  • Mme. Mistral as if they were her children, nursing and "bossing" them by turns.

    Vanishing Roads and Other Essays Richard Le Gallienne 1906

  • But it's a bore to have to go on 'bossing' Landon -- he bears me a grudge, of course -- and I foresee it will be difficult to manage him.

    Innocent : her fancy and his fact Marie Corelli 1889

  • It used to be that only white men could do the "bossing," but the bottom rail is on the top, and Mr. Hancock is now doing such work as guides over seven hundred white employees and gives satisfaction to his generous employers.

    Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising 1887

  • "I like 'bossing' the village," said Delafield, with a laugh.

    Lady Rose's Daughter Humphry Ward 1885

  • He had learnt the arts of municipal "bossing" in one of the minor towns of Illinois, and had then migrated to Chicago, where for years he was the life and soul of all the bolder and more adventurous corruption of the city.

    Marriage à la mode Humphry Ward 1885

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  • A projecting part in a ship's hull or in one frame of a hull, fitting around a propeller shaft.

    August 21, 2009