Definition

1. Noun:
   • The activity or art of playing a set of bells, typically ones hung in a tower: This refers to the skilled practice of making music with a set of tuned bells, often as part of a team in a church or municipal tower.
   • The act of attempting to persuade voters, especially by canvassing in a political campaign: This is a specialized term for direct voter outreach, such as going door-to-door or making phone calls to garner support for a candidate or issue.
   • The sound produced by someone playing a set of bells: This describes the auditory result of the activity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She dedicated her weekends to the ancient art of bell ringing at the cathedral.
  • The campaign's success was largely due to an extensive bell ringing effort in the final week before the election.
  • The gentle bell ringing from the village church could be heard across the fields.

Advanced Usage

• "To go bell ringing": to participate in the activity of playing tower bells.
  • Every Thursday evening, he goes bell ringing with the local society.

Variants and Related Words

• Bell-ringer (n): A person who rings bells, especially one who plays a set of tower bells.
  • The head bell-ringer taught the new recruits the complex sequences.
• Campaigning (n): A more general term for organized efforts to influence voters, which includes "bell ringing" as a specific tactic.

Synonyms

• Change ringing (n): Specifically refers to the English tradition of ringing tower bells in complex, mathematical patterns.
• Canvassing (n): Direct solicitation of support, synonymous with the political meaning of "bell ringing."
• Peal (n): A loud, prolonged ringing of bells, often for celebration.

Related Phrases

• To ring a bell: An idiom meaning to sound familiar or to trigger a memory. (Note: This is a separate idiom, not a direct variant of "bell ringing").
  • That name rings a bell, but I can't remember where I heard it.

Noun

1. playing a set of bells that are (usually) hung in a tower
2. persuasion of voters in a political campaign
3. the sound of someone playing a set of bells