on the bow
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Within a range of 45° on one side or the other of the prow. Up in the bows, To be. To be thoroughly enraged.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “on the bow” mean?
Within a range of 45° on one side or the other of the prow. Up in the bows, To be. To be thoroughly enraged.
Is “on the bow” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.