The Collaborative International Dictionary
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.]
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(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.
Note: The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the oryx, a large species of antelope.
One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action.
--Ps. xxii. 12.-
(Astron.)
Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
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A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and Gemini. It contains the Pleiades.
At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull receives him.
--Thomson.
(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.,
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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.
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.
Usage examples of "bull baiting".
And he told them about horse racing and skittles and bull baiting and coursing and whippets and hawking and bowls and the new stock companies and letters of marque and shooting and darts and lotteries and boxing and cards and wrestling and dice and checkers and dominoes and the time at the fairs when you put farthings on numbers and bet against the wheels of chance.