bodkin \bod"kin\ bo^d"ki^n, n. oe. boydekyn dagger; of
   uncertain origin; cf. w. bidog hanger, short sword, ir.
   bideog, gael. biodag.
   1. a dagger. obs.
      1913 webster

            when he himself might his quietus make
            with a bare bodkin.                   --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. needlework an implement of steel, bone, ivory, etc.,
      with a sharp point, for making holes by piercing; a
      stiletto; an eyeleteer.
      1913 webster

   3. print. a sharp tool, like an awl, used for picking out
      letters from a column or page in making corrections.
      1913 webster

   4. a kind of needle with a large eye and a blunt point, for
      drawing tape, ribbon, etc., through a loop or a hem; a
      tape needle.
      1913 webster

            wedged whole ages in a bodkin's eye.  --pope.
      1913 webster

   5. a kind of pin used by women to fasten the hair.
      1913 webster

   to sit, ride, or travel bodkin, to sit closely wedged
      between two persons. colloq. --thackeray.
      1913 webster
see also:
to sit ride travel bodkin