noun
- iron shackles or fetters used to restrain prisoners’ feet
Usage: archaic; nautical
Examples
- The mutinous sailors were clapped in bilboes below deck.
- Historical accounts describe prisoners being held in bilboes aboard ships.
- The captain ordered the troublemakers to be secured in bilboes.
- Maritime museums display examples of bilboes used on old sailing vessels.
- The crew feared being put in bilboes for disobeying orders.
- Bilboes were commonly used to restrain prisoners during long sea voyages.