birdbolt

noun — 2 senses

noun

Etymology From bird + bolt.

A short blunt arrow for killing birds without piercing them.

Figuratively Anything that smites without penetrating.

To be generous, / guiltless and of free disposition, is to take those / things for bird-bolts that you deem cannon-bullets:c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, act 1, scene 5, lines 86–88:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.