Definition of "parallel bars" []

• An apparatus for gymnastic exercises consisting of two horizontal bars set parallel to each other in adjustable upright supports and used mainly for swinging maneuvers. (noun-plural)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The sternest bachelor was a boy once, and he will have a sort of retrospective enjoyment of our great play-house in conjuring up his own youthful image swinging from the rings, leaping over the horses, and exercising on the parallel bars of our gymnasium."