English · Idiom Historical

ulysses' bow

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Only Ulysses could draw his own bow, and he could shoot an arrow through twelve rings. By this sign Penelope recognized her husband after an absence of twenty years.

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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “ulysses' bow” mean?

Only Ulysses could draw his own bow, and he could shoot an arrow through twelve rings. By this sign Penelope recognized her husband after an absence of twenty years.

Is “ulysses' bow” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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