napier's bones

Small rods, arranged by Lord Napier to expedite arithmetical calculations. In Hudibras:

"A moon-dial, with Napier's bones,

And several constellation stones."

Napier's bones
·- ·Alt. of Napier's rods. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
bones
Dice. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
bones
bobbins for making lace, probably first made of bones; hence bone lace. N. ...

A glossary of provincial and local words used in England by Francis Grose
Napier's rods
·- A set of rods, made of bone or other material, each divided into nine spaces, and containing the ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
snow-bones
remnants of snow after a thaw. North. ...

A glossary of provincial and local words used in England by Francis Grose
saw-bones
A sobriquet for the surgeon and his assistants. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
rawhead and bloody bones
A bull beggar, or scarechild, with which foolish nurses terrify crying brats. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
to make no bones of
To do a thing without hesitation. A metaphor borrowed from eating with dispatch as if it contained n...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.