bolo

verb, noun — 9 senses

bolo

verbalso spelled BOLO

UK /ˈbəʊ.ləʊ/ · US /ˈboʊ.loʊ/

Etymology From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo.

1

To cleave or dismember (a person or an animal) with a bolo knife.

  • "In the first place," began Drina, "you are to lie down flat on the floor and creep about and show us how the Moros wriggle through the grass to bolo our sentinels." […] Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff.1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “His Own People”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, pages 13–14:

BOLO

noun

Etymology Acronym of be on the lookout.

1

Government, Law enforcement US, Abbreviation, Acronym A broadcast issued from a law enforcement agency to others, typically containing information about a wanted suspect, a person of interest, or a related vehicle.

  • William Davis Jr. admitted he had been drinking and driving, but he said he shouldn’t have been caught. Even though police had issued a BOLO or “be on the lookout” for his car and an officer testified Davis made several traffic violations, he said there wasn’t enough probable cause for the initial traffic stop that turned into a DUI. […] Davis said he should not have been stopped because the BOLO for his car was not checked out before he was pulled over, but Justice Cornelia Clark pointed out that shouldn’t matter.2015 September 10, “Knoxville attorney admits to DUI, argues he shouldn’t have been pulled over”, in WATE, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2016:
  • Police had issue^([sic – meaning issued]) a BOLO alert for Brown and the children when he suddenly arrived in the emergency room of Central Florida Regional Hospital, looking for his wife.2016 April 20, Mo Barnes, “Father kills estranged wife, shoots kids”, in RollingOut, archived from the original on 21 May 2024, retrieved 16 Jun 2017:
1 more example
  • Freeman was able to locate the male and recognized him from a BOLO.2017 June 13, Keith Lane, “Frederick Freeman named MPD Officer of the Month”, in Local 15, retrieved 16 Jun 2017:
Synonyms
all-points bulletin, APB

bolo

noun

Etymology From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo.

1

A long, heavy, single-edged machete.

2

A type of punch; an uppercut.

  • He jerked me off balance and the hand with the brass knucks came around in a looping bolo punch.1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin, published 2010, page 141:
Related terms
golok, gulok, machete, palang, parang, itak, kampit, sundang, tabak

bolo

verb

Etymology Supposedly named after Bolo Pascha, a German agent in France during World War I.

1

To fail to meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.

bolo

noun

Etymology Supposedly named after Bolo Pascha, a German agent in France during World War I.

1

A soldier not capable of the minimum standards of marksmanship.

bolo

verb

Etymology From Argentine Spanish boleadora (“lariat”).

1

Nonce word To dress (somebody) in a bolo.

  • Selwyn, sitting up rumpled and cross-legged on the floor, after having boloed Drina to everybody's exquisite satisfaction, looked around at the sudden rustle of skirts to catch a glimpse of a vanishing figure—a glimmer of ruddy hair and the white curve of a youthful face, half-buried in a muff.1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

bolo

noun

Etymology From Argentine Spanish boleadora (“lariat”).

1

A string or leather necktie secured with an ornamental slide.

Derived terms
bolo tie

bolo

noun

Etymology An acronym of be on the lookout.

1

Government, Law enforcement US A request for law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for a suspect.

Synonyms
all-points bulletin, APB

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for bolo and BOLO.