Bull baiting

Bull baiting
Bull Bull, n. [OE. bule, bul, bole; akin to D. bul, G. bulle, Icel. boli, Lith. bullus, Lett. bollis, Russ. vol'; prob. fr. the root of AS. bellan, E. bellow.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) The male of any species of cattle ({Bovid[ae]}); hence, the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of the whale. [1913 Webster]

Note: The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the oryx, a large species of antelope. [1913 Webster]

2. One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action. --Ps. xxii. 12. [1913 Webster]

3. (Astron.) (a) Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac. (b) A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and Gemini. It contains the Pleiades. [1913 Webster]

At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull receives him. --Thomson. [1913 Webster]

4. (Stock Exchange) One who operates in expectation of a rise in the price of stocks, or in order to effect such a rise. See 4th {Bear}, n., 5. [1913 Webster]

5. a ludicrously false statement; nonsense. Also used as an expletive. [vulgar]

Syn: bullshit, Irish bull, horseshit, shit, crap, crapola, bunk, bunkum, buncombe, guff, nonsense, rot, tommyrot, balderdash, hogwash, dogshit. [WordNet 1.5]

{Bull baiting}, the practice of baiting bulls, or rendering them furious, as by setting dogs to attack them.

{John Bull}, a humorous name for the English, collectively; also, an Englishman. ``Good-looking young John Bull.'' --W. D.Howells.

{To take the bull by the horns}, to grapple with a difficulty instead of avoiding it. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Bull-baiting — is a blood sport involving the baiting of bulls. In the time of Queen Anne of Great Britain, it was performed in London at Hockley in the Hole, twice a week, and was reasonably common in the provincial towns. At Stamford and at Tutbury, a bull… …   Wikipedia

  • bull-baiting — bullˈ baiting noun The former sport of baiting or exciting bulls with dogs • • • Main Entry: ↑bull …   Useful english dictionary

  • bull-baiting — [bool′bāt΄iŋ] n. the setting of dogs on a chained or confined bull, formerly a popular pastime in England * * * …   Universalium

  • bull-baiting — [bool′bāt΄iŋ] n. the setting of dogs on a chained or confined bull, formerly a popular pastime in England …   English World dictionary

  • bull-baiting —    see *blood sports …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Bull — Bull, n. [OE. bule, bul, bole; akin to D. bul, G. bulle, Icel. boli, Lith. bullus, Lett. bollis, Russ. vol ; prob. fr. the root of AS. bellan, E. bellow.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The male of any species of cattle ({Bovid[ae]}); hence, the male of any large …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bull|dog — «BUL DG, DOG», noun, adjective, verb, dogged, dog|ging. –n. 1. a heavily built dog with a large head, very short nose, strong jaw, and short hair. Bulldogs are not large, but they are very muscular and courageous. They were originally bred for… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bull and Terrier — Infobox Dogbreed altname = None country = Britain image caption = Bull and Terrier name = Bull and Terrier note = Progenitor to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier notrecognized = true Bull and Terrier is a breed of dog.HistoryThe Bull and Terrier is… …   Wikipedia

  • -baiting — [[t] beɪtɪŋ[/t]] 1) COMB in N UNCOUNT You use baiting after nouns to refer to the activity of attacking a particular group of people or laughing at their beliefs. 2) COMB in N UNCOUNT Badger baiting, bear baiting, and bull baiting involve making… …   English dictionary

  • bull-running —    One of the well known popular *blood sports of the past, although it apparently took place in only a few locations, and is often confused with bull baiting which was much more widespread. Bull running involved letting a bull loose in the… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

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