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bough n Cp EDD ~ sb1 1 So 'end of branch terminating in
twigs' for sense 1; for cpd in sense 2: DC ~ bed (1920-), cp DAE ~ house
(1811-).
1 The branch of a fir or spruce tree.
[1766] 1971 BANKS 135 They take a half tub & boring a hole
Through the Bottom Press hard Down into it a Layer of Spruce boughs upon which they Lay
the Livers & place the whole apparatus in as sunny a Place as Possible as the Livers
Corrupt the Oyl runs from them & [straining] itself clear through the Spruce Boughs
is caught by a Vessel set under the hole in the tubs bottom. [1771] 1792 CARTWRIGHT i, 87
[He had] there broken a few boughs, upon which ... he had lain during the night, and gone
forward again on Saturday morning. [1822] 1928 CORMACK 24-5 Boughs are broken from the
surrounding spruce trees, two or three armfuls to each person, to serve to lie and sleep
on; they are laid on the ground at the windward side of the fire to be free from smoke,
tier upon tier, as feathers upon the back of a bird, the thick or broken ends placed in
lines towards the fire, and form a kind of mat three or four inches in thickness. 1842
BONNYCASTLE i, 292 [From the black spruce the] boughs or sprays, essence of spruce, in
Canada, and spruce beer, the common beverage here, are made. 1907 MILLAIS 278 At a
distance these little spruce woods look like grass or moss, and they are of such'small
stature that a passage between them looks easy; but if you are so unfortunate as to find
your way into their midst, nothing remains but retreat, or a short cut to the nearest
hard ground, for the deceptive bush is a mass of interlaced boughs of great strength,
which makes progression extremely arduous, and at times impossible. P 9-73 The
[trapper's] tent is set over the pile of boughs. Inside, the boughs are scattered around
the tent and tramped down. The tramping of the boughs breaks them into small pieces, the
result is a draft-tight bedding. 1977 BURSEY 17 We hauled boughs and covered the flakes
before spreading the fish... We built our own boats large and small and shipped fish to
market.
2 Attrib, comb, cpd bough bed, ~ bunk:
sleeping place made with the springy tips of conifer branches.
1868 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 24 Our bed consisted of fir
boughs spread in the inner part. There were only three occupants... This was my very
first experience of camp life and a bough bed. T 43/7-64 The usual method was that you'd
buddy up with another feller. If he had a couple o' blankets, and you had a couple, and a
nice bough bunk under you, you'd be fairly comfortable.
bough
fence: fence made of spruce or fir branches woven into a frame of saplings (1968
Avalon Penin of Nfld 64).
bough house: a small,
temporary shelter in the woods, constructed of conifer branches woven into a frame.
1899 ENGLISH 105 'I think you gentlemen had better set to work and
build a bough house,' said Lucy... They selected a large tree, whose branches spread out
some distance, and with the aid of a few more, which they took from other trees, they
soon had a temporary though frail protection from the rain. [1902] 1976 Evening
Telegram 9 Aug, p. 6 It got foggy around 4 p.m. so they decided to put up for the
night in a bough-house. It was not very comfortable. 1978 ibid 26 Apr, p. 4 Government is
reviewing the regulations [governing Crown Lands] especially regarding application of the
regulations to ... summer cabins, temporary shelters, bough-houses and the like.
bough tilt: see bough house. See also TILT.
1842 BONNYCASTLE ii, 143 We set to work to make a bough tilt.
Cutting down a stout pole, we stretched it between two trees at a height of about eight
feet from the ground. Then getting a number of smaller poles, we rested them side by side
in a sloping position against the windward side of the cross-pole. Weaving a few boughs
through these slanting poles, we cut a great number of branches of fir and spruce,
covered with leaves, and, beginning at the bottom, laid them one over the other with the
leaves outwards, in tile-like fashion. This formed a roof impervious to rain, and
blocking up the sides with heaps of boughs and moss we formed a kind of weather-tight hut
or shed, open only in front. On this side we made a great fire.
bough whiffen, ~ whiffet: see bough house, BACK a:
BACK TILT.
P 94-57 Bough whiffen: a lean-to, temporary tent, of
boughs. T 169-651 Bough whiffen— little low tent, with no sides on, only a roof. C
70-18 There we made bough whiffens out of boughs. This type of crude hut was a
traditional shelter hurriedly put up in an emergency. It [was] dome-shape. A fire would
be built outside the entrance. 1980 Evening Telegram 19 Jan, p. 3 He comes from a
part of the province 'where there isn't enough wood to build a bough-whiffin.'
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