Bolo Means a Knife, a Tie and a Police Alert
A bolo is a heavy Filipino knife. The same four letters name a string necktie and an American police term.
A bolo is a large single-edged knife used in the Philippines for cutting vegetation and as a weapon. Three unrelated things share the spelling: the knife, from Tagalog; the *bolo tie*, a cord necktie with an ornamental clasp, named after the bola of South American herders; and *BOLO*, American police shorthand for be on the lookout. Only the last is an abbreviation, and it is written in capitals in police reports.
- A Filipino knife. *A bolo knife.*
- A string necktie. *A bolo tie.*
- Be on the lookout. *A BOLO alert.*
- Machete — a close relative. *A machete.*
- Tagalog — *bolo*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bolo | A bolo. |
| Plural | bolos | Bolos. |
| Compound | bolo tie | A bolo tie. |
| Abbreviation | BOLO | A BOLO. |
| Tagalog | bolo | A knife. |
- He cleared the path with a bolo.Knife.
- He wore a silver bolo tie.Clothing.
- Police issued a BOLO.Alert.
Three separate words
- The knife — from Tagalog, a Philippine language
- The tie — from Spanish *bola*, a ball, via the gaucho weapon
- The alert — an abbreviation of be on the lookout
- Bola — the throwing weapon of weighted cords
- None of the three is derived from the others
The knife is from Tagalog *bolo*. The tie is from Spanish *bola*, a ball. The police term is an abbreviation.
What does BOLO mean in police use?
Be on the lookout, an alert asking officers to watch for a named person or vehicle.
Why is a bolo tie called that?
From the bola, the weighted throwing cord of South American herders, which the cord and clasp resemble.