▪ I. overbid, v.
(əʊvəˈbɪd)
[over- 26, 22.]
† 1. intr. To bid more than the value, to bid too high. Obs.
| a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Scornful Lady ii. iii, Take it, h'as overbidden by the sun: bind him to his bargain quickly. |
2. a. trans. To go beyond (a person) in bidding; to outbid.
| 1645 Rutherford Tryal & Tri. Faith (1845) 99 None could over-bid him in his market for souls. 1850 Grote Greece ii. lxvii, The poor citizens were overbid, and could not get places. 1882 Athenæum 15 July 71 The English could always overbid the Russians in bribing Afghans. |
b. To bid or offer more than the value of (a thing); to overpay.
| 1646 Evance Noble Ord. 13 The benefits..outvye, and overbid all the..service of the Creature. 1681 Dryden Spanish Friar ii. i. 20 A Tear! You have o'erbid all my past Sufferings, And all my future too! 1793 in Vesey, jr. Rep. (1801) II. 55 The sum overbid is larger..amounting to one-fourth part of the original price. |
c. trans. and intr. In Bridge = overcall v. Also fig.
| 1908 R. F. Foster Auction Bridge 51 If the hand is overbid, the suit named may be a guide as to the advisability of changing to no-trumps. 1908 [see bid n. 2]. 1917 E. Bergholt Royal Auction Bridge 87 It is imperative to overbid with Two Clubs, as a warning—colloquially known as a ‘rescue’. 1918 R. F. Foster On Auction (1919) 169 Overbidding a suit just because there are four honours in it is quite unnecessary. 1923 Daily Mail 6 Oct. 6/4 The partner of the under-bidder..cannot make any further bid unless the opponents double or over⁓bid. 1936 A. Huxley Eyeless in Gaza iv. 35 ‘Poor child!’ his father said to himself; and then, overbidding as it were, ‘Poor motherless child!’ he added deliberately. 1947 S. Harris Fund. Princ. Contract Bridge i. i. 17 If one of the adversaries did overbid him, North would almost certainly make a sacrifice bid of four Spades. 1952 I. Macleod Bridge vii. 82 Be chary of overbidding a suit bid with one No Trump. 1952 Phillips & Reese Bridge with Mr. Playbetter xxviii. 118 Mrs. Portly raised to Two Spades; an aggressive player, at the score, might have risked a shut-out bid of Three Spades, but Mrs. Portly knew better than to overbid when playing with Hurry. 1973 Bridge Mag. Feb. 123/2 Let us not forget that partner might have overbid slightly in this position. 1974 Times 15 June 9/1 They scrape up a bid whenever they can, convinced that by overbidding him they make the declarer work harder for his contract. 1975 Times 5 Dec. 14/6 Some European leaders, in overbidding the Brussels game, had seriously misled the public. |
Hence ˈoverbidder, one who makes an overbid (see next); ˈoverbidding vbl. n., the action of one who overbids.
| 1912 F. Irwin Fine Pts. Auction Bridge 85 There is no fault as common in Auction as overbidding. 1929 M. C. Work Compl. Contract Bridge iii. 15 This artificial system is apt to cause overbidding. 1936 E. Culbertson Contract Bridge Complete ii. xxix. 345 When the overbidder is vulnerable, the extent of the overbid should be less than two tricks. 1964 Official Encycl. Bridge 404/1 The overbidder must not be allowed to think that he is playing with an underbidder, or worse will follow. 1974 Country Life 17 Jan. 98/1 It is rewarding to study hands..and see what caused a poor result... Here is the tragedy of Over⁓bidding. |
▪ II. ˈoverbid, n. Bridge.
[f. the vb.]
A bid that is higher than is justified by one's cards; also = overcall n.
| 1917 [see flag-flying s.v. flag n.4 7]. 1947 S. Harris Fund. Princ. Contract Bridge i. i. 15 If one of the adversaries then makes an overbid of Diamonds or Clubs,..North can then bid his Spades. 1952 I. Macleod Bridge iv. 46 When I use the term ‘bid suit’ that means a suit bid as a genuine suit—it does not include cue-bids or over⁓bids in the opponent's suit. 1967 P. Anderton Play Bridge v. 40 The number of points lost when you go down on the overbid should represent a considerable saving on what you would lose if the opponents obtained game and rubber. 1969 Bridge Mag. Oct. 219/2 North made a slight overbid of three hearts, but ensured the right strain. 1972 Ibid. June 386/2 He bid three clubs. Scared of..the overbid of three spades or the underbid of two spades. |