[See BOW sb.1 4.]
1. The name given to the bow drawn by hand and discharging a long feathered arrow (and so distinguished from CROSS-BOW), the national arm of England from the 14th c. till the introduction of firearms. † occas. A soldier armed with a long-bow.
1500. Robin Hood (Ritson), II. xx. 75. With a long bow they shot a fat doe.
c. 1511. 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.), Introd. 34/2. .xv. M. longe bowes and .xl. M. othere men.
1530. Palsgr., 240/2. Long bowe, arc.
1590. Sir J. Smyth, Disc. Conc. Weapons, 38. The excellencie of our Long-bowes and Archers.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 63. They … must … discharge at the enemie with long bowes and cros-bowes.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., II. 186. The long Bow (the ancient glory of our English service).
1801. Strutt, Sports & Past., II. i. 46. The long-bow, so called, to distinguish it from the arbalist, or cross-bow.
1820. Scott, Abbot, iv. Shooting with hand-gun, cross-bow, or long-bow.
1868. Miss Yonge, Cameos, I. xxxix. 334. The fatal power of the English long-bow was … well known to the Scots.
2. Phr. To draw or pull the (or a) long-bow, occas. to draw with the long-bow: to make exaggerated statements (colloq.).
1668. R. L’Estrange, Vis. Quev. (ed. 3), 8. There came to us several Tradesmen; the first of them a Poor Rogue that made profession of drawing the long Bow.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas, I. v. ¶ 4. My grandfather set me the example of drawing the long bow.
1823. Byron, Juan, VIII. cxxxviii. I have drawn much less with a long bow Than my forerunners. Ibid. (1824), XVI. i. At speaking truth perhaps they are less clever, But draw the long bow better now than ever.
1860. Thackeray, Lovel, ii. I dare say I drew a number of long bows about her.
1888. J. Inglis, Tent Life Tigerland, 97. Critics, who have twitted me with ‘drawing the long bow.’
3. attrib.: † long-bow man (see sense 2).
1678. Ray, Prov. (ed. 2), 89. A Lier … He’s a long-bow-man.
1694. Motteux, Rabelais, V. xxx. 153. Tho’ ’twere Ælian that Long-Bow-man that told you so, never believe him.
