Brewer's: Bolus

An apothecary. Apothecaries are so called because they administer boluses. Similarly Mrs. Suds is a washer-woman; Boots is the shoeblack of an inn, etc.

George Colman adopts the name for his apothecary, who wrote his labels in rhyme, one of which was-

When taken, To be well shaken;

but the patient being shaken, instead of the mixture, died.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language