bolas

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“
I have seen these used on "outside camps," but on a well-managed estancia, such as Espartillar, the use of the bolas is strictly prohibited, since it tends to break the animal's leg.

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Definitions (3)

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  1. A Middle English form of bullace.
  2. A weapon of war and the chase, consisting of two or three balls of stone or metal attached to the ends of strong lines, which are knotted together, used by the Gauchos and Indians of western and southern South America. It is used by throwing it in such a way that the line winds around the object aimed at, as the legs of an animal. A smaller weapon of the same sort is in use among the Eskimos for killing birds. The bolas, or balls, are of two kinds: the simplest, which is used chiefly for catching ostriches, consists of two round stones, covered with leather, and united by a thin, plaited thong, about eight feet long. The other kind differs only in having three balls united by thongs to a common centre. The Gaucho holds the smallest of the three in his hand, and whirls the other two around his head; then, taking aim, sends them like chain shot revolving through the air. The balls no sooner strike any object, than, winding round it, they cross each other and become firmly hitched. Darwin, Voyage of Beagle, iii. 50.

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Examples (50)

  • These were bolas--leather thongs with blobs of metal affixed to one end, and with the other ends tied together in a turkey-foot design. —  012 - The Man Who Shook The Earth
  • A bolas, but one that was more compact than those used by pampas cowboys to trap the legs of cattle and throw them The man was good with his bolas. —  098 - The Golden Man
  • The bolas, used for such an object, is a string a couple of yards long, made from fine threads cut from a colt's hide, twisted or braided, and a leaden ball at each end, one being the size of a hen's egg, the other less than half the size. —  Far Away And Long Ago
  • As the early dawn is the best time to find wild animals abroad, both birds and quadrupeds--the best also for approaching them--the gaucho feels pretty confident either one or other will stray within reach of their guns, bolas, or lazos In the end it proves that his confidence has not been misplaced. —  Gaspar the Gaucho A Story of the Gran Chaco
  • There are spears, shields, macanas_, lazoes, bolas--among them the bola perdida_, some of these weapons placed upon the platform alongside the corpse, others suspended from the beams and poles supporting the thatch of the roof. —  Gaspar the Gaucho A Story of the Gran Chaco
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Etymologies (1)

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  1. Spanish, plural of bola, a ball, from Latin bulla, a bubble, any round object: see bull, bill.
 

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