E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bell-wavering.
Vacillating, swaying from side to side like a bell. A man whose mind jangles out of tune from delirium, drunkenness, or temporary insanity, is said to have his wits gone bell-wavering.
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“I doubt me his wits have gone bell-wavering by the road.”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, chap. vii.
