1. [n]  a sudden abandonment (as from a political party)
2. [n]  the act of moving with great haste; "he made a dash for the door"
3. [n]  a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener
4. [n]  the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key
5. [n]  a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech
6. [n]  a roll of cloth or wallpaper of a definite length
7. [n]  a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
8. [adv]  in a rigid manner; "the body was rigidly erect"; "ge sat bolt upright"
9. [adv]  (informal) directly; "he ran bang into the pole"; "ran slap into her"
10. [v]  make or roll into bolts; "bolt fabric"
11. [v]  eat hastily without proper chewing; "Don't bolt your food!"
12. [v]  swallow hastily
13. [v]  secure or lock with a bolt; "bolt the door"
14. [v]  move or jump suddenly; "She bolted from her seat"
15. [v]  leave suddenly and as if in a hurry; "The listeners bolted when he discussed his strange ideas"; "When she started to tell silly stories, I ran out"
16. [v]  run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along

Bolt
After a number of horses are killed by someone using a weapon called a humane killer, steeplechase jockey Kit Fielding vows to stop the killings. Reprint.

more details ...

1. \Bolt\, n. [AS. bolt; akin to Icel. bolti, Dan. bolt, D.
   bout, OHG. bolz, G. bolz, bolzen; of uncertain origin.]
   1. A shaft or missile intended to be shot from a crossbow or
      catapult, esp. a short, stout, blunt-headed arrow; a
      quarrel; an arrow, or that which resembles an arrow; a
      dart.
            Look that the crossbowmen lack not bolts. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
            A fool's bolt is soon shot.           --Shak.
   2. Lightning; a thunderbolt.
   3. A strong pin, of iron or other material, used to fasten or
      hold something in place, often having a head at one end
      and screw thread cut upon the other end.
   4. A sliding catch, or fastening, as for a door or gate; the
      portion of a lock which is shot or withdrawn by the action
      of the key.
   5. An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a
      fetter. [Obs.]
            Away with him to prison! lay bolts enough upon him.
                                                  --Shak.
   6. A compact package or roll of cloth, as of canvas or silk,
      often containing about forty yards.
   7. A bundle, as of oziers.
   {Bolt auger}, an auger of large size; an auger to make holes
      for the bolts used by shipwrights.
   {Bolt and nut}, a metallic pin with a head formed upon one
      end, and a movable piece (the nut) screwed upon a thread
      cut upon the other end. See B, C, and D, in illust. above.
   Note: See {Tap bolt}, {Screw bolt}, and {Stud bolt}.
   

2. \Bolt\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bolted}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Bolting}.]
   1. To shoot; to discharge or drive forth.
   2. To utter precipitately; to blurt or throw out.
            I hate when Vice can bolt her arguments. --Milton.
   3. To swallow without chewing; as, to bolt food.
   4. (U. S. Politics) To refuse to support, as a nomination
      made by a party to which one has belonged or by a caucus
      in which one has taken part.
   5. (Sporting) To cause to start or spring forth; to dislodge,
      as conies, rabbits, etc.
   6. To fasten or secure with, or as with, a bolt or bolts, as
      a door, a timber, fetters; to shackle; to restrain.
            Let tenfold iron bolt my door.        --Langhorn.
            Which shackles accidents and bolts up change.
                                                  --Shak.
   

3. \Bolt\ (b[=o]lt; 110), v. i.
   1. To start forth like a bolt or arrow; to spring abruptly;
      to come or go suddenly; to dart; as, to bolt out of the
      room.
            This Puck seems but a dreaming dolt, . . . And oft
            out of a bush doth bolt.              --Drayton.
   2. To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt.
            His cloudless thunder bolted on their heads.
                                                  --Milton.
   3. To spring suddenly aside, or out of the regular path; as,
      the horse bolted.
   4. (U.S. Politics) To refuse to support a nomination made by
      a party or a caucus with which one has been connected; to
      break away from a party.
   

4. \Bolt\, adv.
   In the manner of a bolt; suddenly; straight; unbendingly.
         [He] came bolt up against the heavy dragoon.
                                                  --Thackeray.
   {Bolt upright}.
   (a) Perfectly upright; perpendicular; straight up;
       unbendingly erect. --Addison.
   (b) On the back at full length. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
   

5. \Bolt\, n. [From {Bolt}, v. i.]
   1. A sudden spring or start; a sudden spring aside; as, the
      horse made a bolt.
   2. A sudden flight, as to escape creditors.
            This gentleman was so hopelessly involved that he
            contemplated a bolt to America -- or anywhere.
                                                  --Compton
                                                  Reade.
   3. (U. S. Politics) A refusal to support a nomination made by
      the party with which one has been connected; a breaking
      away from one's party.
   

6. \Bolt\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bolted}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Bolting}.] [OE. bolten, boulten, OF. buleter, F. bluter, fr.
   Ll. buletare, buratare, cf. F. bure coarse woolen stuff; fr.
   L. burrus red. See {Borrel}, and cf. {Bultel}.]
   1. To sift or separate the coarser from the finer particles
      of, as bran from flour, by means of a bolter; to separate,
      assort, refine, or purify by other means.
            He now had bolted all the flour.      --Spenser.
            Ill schooled in bolted language.      --Shak.
   2. To separate, as if by sifting or bolting; -- with out.
            Time and nature will bolt out the truth of things.
                                                  --L'Estrange.
   3. (Law) To discuss or argue privately, and for practice, as
      cases at law. --Jacob.
   {To bolt to the bran}, to examine thoroughly, so as to
      separate or discover everything important. --Chaucer.
            This bolts the matter fairly to the bran. --Harte.
            The report of the committee was examined and sifted
            and bolted to the bran.               --Burke.
   

7. \Bolt\, n.
   A sieve, esp. a long fine sieve used in milling for bolting
   flour and meal; a bolter. --B. Jonson.