John Bull

John Bull
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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Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Bull — John Bullish. John Bullishness. John Bullism. 1. England; the English people. 2. the typical Englishman. [1705 15; named after John Bull, chief character in Arbuthnot s allegory The History of John Bull (1712)] * * * ▪ English symbol       in… …   Universalium

  • JOHN BULL — Dans la littérature et la caricature anglaises, John Bull représente l’Anglais «typique»; on trouve pour la première fois le personnage dans La loi est un puits sans fond... (Law is a Bottomless Pit ..., 1712), l’une des cinq satires politiques… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • John Bull —   [ dʒɔn bʊl; englisch »Hans Stier«], Spitzname des englischen Volkes oder des typischen Engländers, ursprünglich die Verkörperung der Nation in einer Pamphletsammlung von J. Arbuthnot (1712, 1727 unter dem Titel »The history of John Bull«… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • John Bull — John′ Bull′ n. 1) England; the English people 2) the typical Englishman • Etymology: 1705–15; after John Bull, chief character in Arbuthnot s allegory The History of John Bull (1712) John′ Bull′ish, adj …   From formal English to slang

  • John Bull — John John (j[o^]n), n. [See {Johannes}.] A proper name of a man. [1913 Webster] {John apple}, a sort of apple ripe about St. John s Day. Same as {Apple john}. {John Bull}, an ideal personification of the typical characteristics of an Englishman,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • John Bull — ► NOUN ▪ a personification of England or the typical Englishman. ORIGIN from a character in John Arbuthnot s satire Law is a Bottomless Pit; or, the History of John Bull (1712) …   English terms dictionary

  • John Bull — n. [title character in John Arbuthnot s History of John Bull (1712)] personification of England or an Englishman …   English World dictionary

  • John Bull — (spr. Dschohn Bull), so v.w. Bull 1) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • John Bull — 1 n. p. m. Expresión inglesa con que se designa al hombre corriente. 2 Se emplea para designar a *Inglaterra o al pueblo inglés. * * * VER Bull, John …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • John Bull — JOHN BULL: Quand on ne sait pas le nom d un Anglais, on l appelle John Bull …   Dictionnaire des idées reçues

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