Boa \Bo"a\ (b[=o]"[.a]), n.; pl. {Boas}. [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico ({Boa imperator}), and the chevalier boa of Peru ({Boa eques}).
Note: The name is also applied to related genera; as, the {dog-headed boa} ({Xiphosoma caninum}).
2. A long, round fur tippet; -- so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor.
Eight hundred animals, including full-grown boas and pythons, escaped when the force of the quake broke their enclosures.
Director Aline Isserman boldly uses a wide screen for an intimate story: which means that faces are wreathed in boas of shadow and ambiguity becomes a form of brain-teasing poetry. Movie-making like this is still 'rock pool' rather than high tide.