bŏlus — Lewis & Short
bŏlus, i, m., = bo/los,
I a throw or cast (ante- and post-class.; cf. jactus).
I Lit.
A Of dice in gaming, a throw: si vis tribus bolis... Th. Quin tu in malam crucem cum bolis, cum bulbis, Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 13:
nimis lepide jecisti bolum,id. Rud. 2, 2, 30:
enumerare bolos,Aus. Prof. 1, 26.—
B A cast of the net in fishing; and meton., the cast, i. e. the draught of fishes, the haul:
bolum emere,Suet. Rhet. 1.—
II Trop., gain, profit, advantage; a haul, winning, piece of fortune, etc.: primumdum merces annua: is primus bolu'st, that's her first haul, Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 10:
intus bolos dat,id. ib. 4, 2, 12:
dabit haec tibi grandis bolos,id. Pers. 4, 4, 106; Lucil. ap. Non. p. 46, 13:
magnum bolum deferunt aeris,Varr. R. R. 3, 14, 5; 3, 2, 16.—Esp.: aliquem tangere bolo, to cozen, wheedle of gain:
quia amare cernit, tangere hominem volt bolo,Plaut. Poen. prol. 101; cf.:
verum hoc te multabo bolo,id. Truc. 4, 3, 70.—
B A choice bit, nice morsel:
cracior bolum mihi tantum ereptum tam desubito e faucibus,Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 6 Wagn. ad loc.—(In some or all the passages under II. al. refer the word to Gr. h( bw=los, a clod; cf.: bolus apud Graecos si per o scribitur, signficat jactum retis; si per w, glaebam terrae, vel frustum cujusque rei, Don. ad Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 6; cf. Speng. ad Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 10.— But bolus is always masc. in Plaut. and Ter., and is scanned bŏlus; v. esp. Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 70; id. Poen. prol. 101).