One for the Quizmonster

[kia cat]

My Mum-in-Law [currently awaiting a cataract operation] uses a magnifying glass to read magazines, books etc. She always calls the lens/glass her "bosser" not sure of spelling, but that's how it sounds, any ideas where that comes from?

[bookbinder]

Here's my suggestion, for what it's worth. "Bosser" may come from the medical condition that is commonly called "boss eyed". The Latin name is strabismus. Some people say that a boss-eyed person is squint-eyed, and to look at something closely is called "having a squint at it". So, maybe there's some connection between someone who is boss eyed, having a squint at, and using a lens (a squinter or bosser) because their eyesight is not good.

[Quizmonster]

One of the old meanings of the verb 'to boss' - as in our modern-day word 'EMboss' - was to cause to swell or make something stand out. Accordingly, it makes good sense to call a magnifying-glass a 'bosser'.

[kia cat]

Thanks guys, now we know.