BAIL

n. & v. --n. 1 Cricket either of the two crosspieces bridging the stumps. 2 the bar on a typewriter holding the paper against the platen. 3 a bar separating horses in an open stable. 4 Austral. & NZ a framework for securing the head of a cow during milking. --v. Austral. & NZ (usu. foll. by up) 1 tr. secure (a cow) during milking. 2 a tr. make (a person) hold up his or her arms to be robbed. b intr. surrender by throwing up one's arms. c tr. buttonhole (a person). [ME f. OF bail(e), perh. f. bailler enclose]