What is "boy bishop"

Boy \Boy\, n. [Cf. D. boef, Fries. boi, boy; akin to G. bube, Icel. bofi rouge.]

1. A male child, from birth to the age of puberty; a lad; hence, a son.

   My only boy fell by the side of great Dundee.
   --Sir W. Scott.

   Note: Boy is often used as a term of comradeship, as in college, or in the army or navy. In the plural used colloquially of members of an associaton, fraternity, or party.

2. In various countries, a male servant, laborer, or slave of a native or inferior race; also, any man of such a race; -- considered derogatory by those so called, and now seldom used. [derog.]

   He reverted again and again to the labor difficulty, and spoke of importing boys from Capetown.
   --Frances Macnab.

   Boy bishop, a boy (usually a chorister) elected bishop, in old Christian sports, and invested with robes and other insigni

   1. He practiced a kind of mimicry of the ceremonies in which the bishop usually officiated.

      The Old Boy, the Devil. [Slang]

      Yellow boys, guineas. [Slang, Eng.]

      Boy's love, a popular English name of Southernwood ( Artemisia abrotonum); -- called also lad's love.

      Boy's play, childish amusements; anything trifling.

Boy bishop was a name given to a custom very widespread in the Middle Ages, whereby a boy was chosen, for example among cathedral choristers, to parody the real bishop, commonly on the feast of Holy Innocents. This custom was linked with others, such as that of the Feast of Fools and the Feast of Asses.