Broom of twigs or rushes

Usage examples of besom.

Then he saw himself again, sweeping the natives out of South Africa with the relentless besom of his might, and ruling unquestioned over a submissive people.

He could imagine the flaming besom from the sky that they saw descending, flaying and withering them, laying corpses as in windrows, and he shuddered.

Then, just as he felt that he must either founder or struggle in to take his chances upon shore, a besom of flame struck down from the sky and swept the beach clean before him, leaving only a burst of seared, exploded bodies and clouds of greasy smoke.

Will and Bran pulled them out: besoms made like those for old-fashioned sweeping, but with the twigs longer and wider-spread.

Foma felt their daring audacity, their biting sarcasm, their passionate malice, and he was as well pleased with them as though he had been scourged with besoms in a hot bath.

FIRST CITIZEN Napoleon's army swarms with tender youth, His last conscription besomed into it Thousands of merest boys.

He caught no more than a glimpse of the top of her head among the crowd on the terraceshe wouldn't wear a proper cap, of course, the stubborn wee besom, but had some foolishness pinned on instead, a scrap of lace caught up with a cluster of ribbons and rose hips.

It was a good rye-straw broom, not a twig besom like those some folks in Barca's Hamlet used because they were sturdier and lasted longer.