From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bush \Bush\ (b[.u]sh), n. [OE. bosch, busch, buysch, bosk, busk;
akin to D. bosch, OHG. busc, G. busch, Icel. b[=u]skr,
b[=u]ski, Dan. busk, Sw. buske, and also to LL. boscus,
buscus, Pr. bosc, It. bosco, Sp. & Pg. bosque, F. bois, OF.
bos. Whether the LL. or G. form is the original is uncertain;
if the LL., it is perh. from the same source as E. box a
case. Cf. Ambush, Boscage, Bouquet, Box a case.]
1. A thicket, or place abounding in trees or shrubs; a wild
forest.
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Note: This was the original sense of the word, as in the
Dutch bosch, a wood, and was so used by Chaucer. In
this sense it is extensively used in the British
colonies, especially at the Cape of Good Hope, and also
in Australia and Canada; as, to live or settle in the
bush.
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2. A shrub; esp., a shrub with branches rising from or near
the root; a thick shrub or a cluster of shrubs.
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To bind a bush of thorns among sweet-smelling
flowers. --Gascoigne.
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3. A shrub cut off, or a shrublike branch of a tree; as,
bushes to support pea vines.
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4. A shrub or branch, properly, a branch of ivy (as sacred to
Bacchus), hung out at vintners' doors, or as a tavern
sign; hence, a tavern sign, and symbolically, the tavern
itself.
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If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 't is
true that a good play needs no epilogue. --Shak.
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5. (Hunting) The tail, or brush, of a fox.
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To beat about the bush, to approach anything in a
round-about manner, instead of coming directly to it; -- a
metaphor taken from hunting.
Bush bean (Bot.), a variety of bean which is low and
requires no support (Phaseolus vulgaris, variety nanus).
See Bean, 1.
Bush buck, or Bush goat (Zool.), a beautiful South
African antelope (Tragelaphus sylvaticus); -- so called
because found mainly in wooden localities. The name is
also applied to other species.
Bush cat (Zool.), the serval. See Serval.
Bush chat (Zool.), a bird of the genus Pratincola, of the
Thrush family.
Bush hammer. See Bushhammer in the Vocabulary.
Bush harrow (Agric.) See under Harrow.
Bush hog (Zool.), a South African wild hog
(Potamoch[oe]rus Africanus); -- called also bush pig,
and water hog.
Bush master (Zool.), a venomous snake (Lachesis mutus) of
Guinea; -- called also surucucu.
Bush pea (Bot.), a variety of pea that needs to be bushed.
Bush shrike (Zool.), a bird of the genus Thamnophilus,
and allied genera; -- called also batarg. Many species
inhabit tropical America.
Bush tit (Zool.), a small bird of the genus Psaltriparus,
allied to the titmouse. Psaltriparus minimus inhabits
California.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Chat \Chat\, n.
1. Light, familiar talk; conversation; gossip.
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Snuff, or fan, supply each pause of chat,
With singing, laughing, ogling, and all that.
--Pope.
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2. (Zool.) A bird of the genus Icteria, allied to the
warblers, in America. The best known species are the
yellow-breasted chat (Icteria viridis), and the
long-tailed chat (Icteria longicauda). In Europe the
name is given to several birds of the family
Saxicolid[ae], as the stonechat, and whinchat.
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