Word of the Day: Bail and Bale

bail

  bail   /  bāl   noun  

1. a bond or pledge backed with money or property

Excessive bail shall not be required nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. From the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress September 25, 1789  

2. the system which permits a temporary release from prison as the result of a security bond having been paid

But when the rich did commit crimes, they often were not prosecuted, and if they were they could get out on bail, hire clever lawyers, get better treatment from judges. From “A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present” by Howard Zinn, 1922 – 2010  

3. the one who provides the security bond

If you ever feel so happy you land in jail, I’m your bail. From “Friendship” by Cole Porter, 1891 – 1964  

4. a container used to scoop water from a boat

So I grabbed the bail and starting throwing water out as quickly as I could, meanwhile Diana kept paddling hard. “An Epic 3-Day Canoe Adventure in New Zealand: The Whanganui River Journey” by Maddy Cornelius, https://www.travelalphas.com/whanganui-river-journey, January 31, 2018  

5. the arch shaped handle of a container

These small kegs, with bails for easy handling that made them prized for carrying water, were a good seller at all frontier trading posts. From “From Fort Laramie to Wounded Knee: In the West That Was” by Charles W. Allen, 1851 – 1942  

6. a U-shaped shaped support

Litters normally had hooped roofs, or bails, with horizontal pommels, or rods; they were hung with rich curtains or blinds. From “Henry VII: the King and His Court” by Alison Weir, 1951 –  

7. on a typewriter, the hinged bar that holds the paper against the roller

When inserting a fresh sheet of paper, always pull the bail toward you to allow the paper to slip underneath. From “Touch Typing in Ten Lessons” by Ruth Ben’Ary, ? –  

8. on a fishing reel, the arch shaped part that guides the line on the spool

At the end of a cast, the angler cranks the reel handle which automatically closes the bail. From “Spinning Reel Bails” by Capt. Terry Rand, http://www.saltwaterfishing247.com/Article/spinning-reel-bails-Page1.htm, 8-6-2019  

9. a loop on a pendant enabling the pendant to be hung on a necklace

Easily attach your pendants to necklace designs with the use of bails.  https://www.artbeads.com/findings/bails, 8-7-2019  

10. in cricket, a horizontal cross-piece that forms the top of the wicket

It is now usual to set up two stumps with a bail across, which the batsman, when he runs, must beat off before he returns home.  From “The Book of Sports: Containing Out-door Sports, Amusements and Recreations, Including Gymnastics, Gardening & Carpentering” by William Martin, 1801 – 1867   verb  

1. to release or to enable a person to be released from custody through the posting of a security bond

When you’re in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. Groucho Marx, 1890 – 1977  

2. to help out of a difficult situation

Humor has bailed me out of more tight situations than I can think of. Jimmy Buffett, 1946 –  

3. to eject; to parachute from a plane

The aircraft was hit by flak during a mission and went into a terminal dive, and the pilot ordered everyone to bail out. From “War” by Sebastian Junger, 1962 –  

4. to abandon a difficult situation or project

When times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative. From “Waking the Witch” by Kelley Armstrong. 1968 –  

5. to ladle or empty (water) from

I could as easily bail out the Potomac River with a teaspoon as attend to all the details of the army.  Abraham Lincoln 1861 – 1865  

bale

  bale  /   bāl   noun  

1. a large amount of material bundled tightly together

I thanked him, and praised his honesty, begging him to accept several bales of merchandise in token of my gratitude, but he would take nothing. From “The Arabian Nights” by Andrew Lang, 1844 – 1912  

2. a group of turtles

In the animal world, each animal has its own name, but there are also names for groups of the same kind of animal-like a flock of sheep or a bale or turtles! From “A Bale of Turtles” by Lee Clancey, ? –  

3. great evil, harm

Tidings of bale she brought. From “The Iliad” by Homer, c. 750 BC  

4. mental agony, woe

Relieve my spirit from the bale that bows it down. From “Tancred: Or, The New Crusade” by Benjamin Disraeli, 1804 – 1881   verb  

1. to wrap into a bundle

I paid cash, $8, money I had saved as a hired hand on my uncle Calvin’s farm, baling and stacking hay. Gene Autry, 1907 – 1998