Bolster \Bol"ster\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bolstered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bolstering}.] 1. To support with a bolster or pillow. --S. Sharp.
2. To support, hold up, or maintain with difficulty or unusual effort; -- often with up.
To bolster baseness. --Drayton.
Shoddy inventions designed to bolster up a factitious pride. --Compton Reade.
Bolster \Bol"ster\ (b[=o]l"st[~e]r; 110), n. [AS. bolster; akin to Icel. b[=o]lstr, Sw. & Dan. bolster, OHG. bolstar, polstar, G. polster; from the same root as E. bole stem, bowl hollow vessel. Cf. {Bulge}, {Poltroon}.] 1. A long pillow or cushion, used to support the head of a person lying on a bed; -- generally laid under the pillows.
And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, This way the coverlet, another way the sheets. --Shak.
2. A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support any part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress.
This arm shall be a bolster for thy head. --Gay.
3. Anything arranged to act as a support, as in various forms of mechanism, etc.
4. (Saddlery) A cushioned or a piece part of a saddle.
5. (Naut.) (a) A cushioned or a piece of soft wood covered with tarred canvas, placed on the trestletrees and against the mast, for the collars of the shrouds to rest on, to prevent chafing. (b) Anything used to prevent chafing.
6. A plate of iron or a mass of wood under the end of a bridge girder, to keep the girder from resting directly on the abutment.
7. A transverse bar above the axle of a wagon, on which the bed or body rests.
8. The crossbeam forming the bearing piece of the body of a railway car; the central and principal cross beam of a car truck.
9. (Mech.) the perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
10. (Cutlery) (a) That part of a knife blade which abuts upon the end of the handle. (b) The metallic end of a pocketknife handle. --G. Francis.
11. (Arch.) The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital. --G. Francis.
12. (Mil.) A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation.
Note: [See Illust. of {Gun carriage}.]
{Bolster work} (Arch.), members which are bellied or curved outward like cushions, as in friezes of certain classical styles.
In a decision that could bolster the rights of AIDS victims, the justices ruled 7-2 that people with contagious diseases are covered by a federal law that prohibits discrimination against the handicapped in federally aided programs.
Mr. Garamendi's interest in having American Express bolster First Capital could indicate that the Los Angeles insurance company's problems are more serious than First Capital has indicated.
He is virtually the only industrial saint around." Analysts expect Digital to start a new stock buy-back program soon to bolster the shares.
At current market prices such an offering would add about $1 billion to Citicorp's equity, and would help bolster its capital following the company's recent addition of $3 billion to loan-loss reserves.
President Reagan's call for a special prosecutor to investigate the Iran arms sale helped bolster investor confidence, according to analysts.
A rumor that Japan's central bank was poised to boost a key interest rate continued to bolster the yen, said Yoichi Sakaguchi, chief currency trader at Sanwa Bank.
That would bolster the solvent institutions' ability to pay special insurance assessments or to acquire sick thrifts, the bill's supporters said.
Airline pilots asked a federal judge to appoint a trustee to run Eastern Airlines, alleging that Frank Lorenzo, chairman of parent Texas Air Corp., was stripping Eastern's assets to bolster affiliated companies.
Market prices of some other products also were high enough to reduce the need for CCC purchases to bolster prices.
Texas Air Corp. is quietly raising $100 million to bolster its liquidity through a private debt offering.
The Soviets sent forces to bolster the government, which they continue to support with arms shipments.
An official traveling with Mr. Baker said a meeting in Washington earlier this week between President Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel focused on what the U.S. could do to bolster Turkey's efforts in the republics.
Buyers say the increases, though modest, bolster the odds that steelmakers will succeed in maintaining current prices through year end.
King Fahd said Monday Saudi Arabia would pursue plans to bolster its defenses, dismissing veiled Israeli threats to the kingdom after it bought intermediate-range missiles capable of hitting any Mideast capital.
His timid encouragement of private enterprise and some productivity-related incentives to workers was intended to bolster the dinar and liven up the moribund economy of his predecessor, and the architect of Algeria's bureaucracy, Houari Boumedienne.
More complicated, he said, will be finding an accord on measures to bolster the security of the FHA insurance funds.
Traders say a $10 billion or $11 billion deficit would bolster the dollar and help pull down U.S. interest rates.
In yesterday's filing, the dissidents said they support Mr. Johnson's "strategic measures" to bolster returns.
Quaker's announcement comes as the National Cattlemen's Association declared what it called a "war on fat" to bolster sales.
He earned the industry's admiration for taking a $1 billion charge against 1985 earnings to bolster property-casualty reserves, cutting costs and selling unprofitable businesses.
Judge Robinson's ruling, however, is bound to bolster the legal position of all independent counsels, including those currently investigating the Iran-Contra affair and separate conflict-of-interest allegations surrounding Attorney General Edwin Meese.
At least two of the companies involved appear also to have participated in a covert operation last year to bolster the price of Maxwell Communication shares.
Democrats are likely to bolster their majority of governorships this year but face tough Republican resistance in three Sunbelt states crucial to congressional redistricting.
That, in turn, would deal a blow to the stock market, which is counting on the government's privatization program to bolster its standing.
That will bolster the U.S. and allied forces in the region to around 550,000 personnel and give the multinational force an offensive capability.
Henderson Administration, the fund management company, has moved to bolster confidence in its investment skills by recruiting Ian Buckley from Sun Life Asset management to head its group investment business.
Total orders fell by more than 60 per cent between 1991 and the middle of this year. The one bright spot has been public sector orders, where fiscal stimulus packages in the last 18 months have helped bolster demand.
Since plans were unveiled last year to eliminate ownership restrictions in Canada's securities industry, the country's large firms have sought investments from financial institutions to bolster their small capital bases.
In their report, lawmakers concluded that attendance records were in such poor condition that officials decided to create documents to bolster the case against controllers who joined a nationwide strike.
The company said Friday that it hired L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin Inc., an investment bank, to explore "all avenues to bolster our capital."