Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) to cheat, to deceive; thus bobbed, cheated; bobber, a cheat.

c.1521		J. Heywood Witty and Witless in Farmer Dramatic Writings (1905) 194: Some beat him, some bob him.
1542		Udall (trans.) Erasmus’ Apophthegms (1564) Bk I 6: Those persones, he pronounced worthie to be accoumpted deceiptfull, bobbers of men.
1576		U. Fulwell Art of Flattery 6th dialogue 29: A mad mery knaue, he taketh all floutes and bobs in good part, by meanes whereof he bobbeth manie others.
1589		Nashe Death and Buriall of Martin Mar-Prelate in Works I (1883–4) 202: When you knowe not who bobd you, you strike him that first comes in your foolish head.
1600		Look About You xxxi: Ye bobb’d me first.
1611		L. Barry Ram-Alley IV i: Throarte, thou art bobd.
1622		Fletcher Spanish Curate V ii: I were angry yesterday with ye all [...] for methought ye bob’d me.
c.1629		R. Brome City Wit III iv: Ha, ha, ha: I would laugh ifaith, if you could bob me off with such payment.
1633		Ford ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore III i: Ay, let him not bob you off like an ape with an apple.
1652		Jonson, Fletcher & Middleton Widdow V i: I’m bob’d among the rest too.
1663		W. Davenant Play-House to be Let Act V: He [...] came not here for rescue, but to rob us; Yet we at last bobb’d him who meant to bob us.
1673		‘Letter from a Missionary Bawd’ in Carpenter Verse in English from Tudor & Stuart Eng. (2003) 427: Katty, with profferd spouse so often bob’d.
1675		Woman Turn’d Bully III ii: If you had lost so many Suters as I have [...] and so often Bob’d as I have been, you’d hate a put-off.
1680		Merry Maid of Islington 16: She has had her fling, and still she bobs me with it, only devises to try me.
1695		Congreve Love for Love V i: Ouns! Cullied, bubbled, jilted, woman-bobbed at last – I have not patience.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Bob’d, c. Cheated, Trick’d, Disappointed, or Baulk’d.
1705–07		N. Ward Hudibras Redivivus II:2 19: They would bob their Ladies of a merry job.
1709		Cibber Rival Fools I i: Hah! he has bobbed me twice now.
1714		S. Centlivre Wonder! III iii: So, they are all for the ring, but I shall bob them.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1748		Dyche & Pardon New General Eng. Dict. (5th edn) n.p.: Bob (v.), to jog, touch, or give notice by some such like sign; also a cant word for to trick or cheat.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Bobbed, cheated, tricked, disappointed.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 199: [He] now sends you, my friends, to bob me.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant n.p.: bobb’d cheated.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785].
1831		Satirist (London) 21 Aug. 157/3: Lord Allen has been recently bobbed [...] of 5,0001. He has returned [...] to his bosom solace, the danseuse.

2. to thrash, to beat; thus bob(bed), beaten.

c.1660		‘Dutch Damnified or the Butter-Boxes Bob’d’ in Euing Broadside Ballads No. 60: [title].
1721		Cibber Refusal 9: They had me all Bob as a Robin: In short, being out of my Money, I was forced to come the Castor, and tumbled for Five Hundred dead.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 384: Poor goody phoenix gulph’d and sobb’d / To find ’em all so finely bobb’d.

3. (UK) to adulterate milk with water.

1845

Morn. Post (London) 19 Sept. 7/4: Witness— The prisoner then said ‘I have regularly bobbed it’ [...] Mr Broderip— What did he mean by that? Witness— Bobbing means putting water to the milk.

4. to wound or kill.

1886

‘Lady Kate, the Dashing Female Detective’ in Roberts et al. Old Sleuths Freaky Female Detectives (1990) 33/2: ‘Tell me, has Cummings “bobbed”?’ [...] ‘I’m afeared he crawled off like a wounded crow, and “died on the branch”.’.