What Does Bob Mean?

Bob Sander-Cederlof

One of Many Bobs

What kind of word is "Bob"

• "Bob" is a name
• "Bob" is a verb
• "Bob" is a noun
• "Bob" was a Microsoft product
• "Bob" is a language
• "Bob" turns up everywhere
• "Bob" is an acronym

"Bob" is a name

"Bob" is a nickname for "Robert"

Lots of people are named "Bob"

• Bob Sander-Cederlof
• Bob Pickering
• Bob Vanderdrift
• Bob Eppler

"Bob" is a verb

1. To hit lightly and quickly; tap. "Bob him on the head."
2. To cause to move up and down. "Bob that thingy there."
3. To move up and down. "Bobbing and weaving down the field..."
4. To grab at floating or hanging objects with the teeth. "Bob for Apples."
5. To curtsy or bow. "She bobbed formally."
6. To fish with a bob. "Bob in a pond."
7. To cut short or reshape. "Bob a dog's tail."
8. Bob up: To appear or arise unexpectedly or suddenly. "Bob is likely to bob up almost anywhere!"

"Bob" is a noun

1. A tap or light blow.
2. A quick, jerky movement of the head or body.
3. A small, knoblike pendant object, such as a plumb bob.
4. A fishing float or cork.
5. A small lock or curl of hair.
6. A woman's or child's short haircut.
7. Surgical shortening or reshaping of the nose.
8. The docked tail of a horse.
9. a. A bobsled. b. A bob skate.
10. A shilling. "I'm making a bob a minute!"

"Bob" was a Microsoft product

The name of a software product from Microsoft, conceived and directed by the wife of Bill Gates, introduced with great fanfare.

The logo for Bob was a big yellow happyface wearing black-rimmed glasses.

After the initial PR blitz, the product disappeared.

"Bob" is a language

Bob is a simple object-oriented scripting language.

Bob's syntax is similar to C or C++ but it is dynamically typed and has automatic memory management.

The source code (written in C) is available here by David Betz.

[see Dr Dobbs Journal, Sep 1991, p.26]

"Bob" is an acronym

• BOB means Baby On-Board
• BOB means Burned Out Bulb
• BOB means Big Old Building
• BOB means Better Or Best
• BOB means Burger On Bun
• BOB means Breathing Observation Bubble
• BOB means whatever you can spell B... O... B...!

"Bob" turns up everywhere

• The way bomb sounds when you have a cold.
• Bob the Builder: a popular line of children's videos, toys, et cetera.
• Bobby: a policeman in England?
• Bobby Sox: A type of white socks worn by teen-age girls (in another era).
• "In Belgium, the one who drives and doesn't drink is commonly called Bob. He is the one who brings everybody home without damage." Quoted from this site. (See the official Bob site.)
• ...so, Bob's your uncle!