What is "gull"

Gull \Gull\ (g[u^]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gulled (g[u^]ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Gulling.] [Prob. fr. gull the bird; but cf. OSw. gylla to deceive, D. kullen, and E. cullibility.] To deceive; to cheat; to mislead; to trick; to defraud.

The rulgar, gulled into rebellion, armed.
--Dryden.

I'm not gulling him for the emperor's service.
--Coleridge.

Gull \Gull\, n.

1. A cheating or cheat; trick; fraud.
   --Shak.

2. One easily cheated; a dupe.
   --Shak.

Gull \Gull\, n. [Of Celtic origin; cf. Corn. gullan, W. gwylan.] (Zo["o]l.) One of many species of long-winged sea birds of the genus Larus and allied genera.

Note: Among the best known American species are the herring gull ( Larus argentatus), the great black-backed gull ( L. murinus) the laughing gull ( L. atricilla), and Bonaparte's gull ( L. Philadelphia). The common European gull is Larus canus.

Gull teaser (Zo["o]l.), the jager; -- also applied to certain species of terns.

shore bird, early 15c. (in a cook book), probably from Brythonic Celtic, compare Welsh gwylan "gull," Cornish guilan, Breton goelann; all from Old Celtic *voilenno-. Replaced Old English mæw (see mew (n.1)).

cant term for "dupe, sucker, credulous person," 1590s, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from verb meaning "to dupe, cheat" (1540s), earlier "to swallow" (1520s), ultimately from gull "throat, gullet" (early 15c.); see gullet. Or it is perhaps from (or influenced by) the bird (see gull (n.1)); in either case with a sense of "someone who will swallow anything thrown at him." Another possibility is Middle English dialectal gull "newly hatched bird" (late 14c.), which is perhaps from Old Norse golr "yellow," from the hue of its down.\n\n\n

Etymology 1 n. A seabird of the genus ''Larus'' or of the family Laridae. Etymology 2

n. 1 (context slang English) A cheating trick; a fraud. 2 One easily cheated; a dupe. vb. 1 To deceive or cheat. 2 (context US slang English) To mislead. 3 (context US slang English) To trick and defraud.

1. n. a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of [syn: chump, fool, mark, patsy, fall guy, sucker, soft touch, mug]

2. mostly white aquatic bird having long pointed wings and short legs [syn: seagull, sea gull]

3. v. make a fool or dupe of [syn: fool, befool]

4. fool or hoax; "The immigrant was duped because he trusted everyone"; "You can't fool me!" [syn: dupe, slang, befool, cod, fool, put on, take in, put one over, put one across]

A gull is a bird in the family Laridae.

Gull or gulls may also refer to:

The Gull sailing dinghy was designed by Ian Proctor in 1956, originally as a frameless double- chine plywood boat. However, it has been through several incarnations: the wooden Mark I, GRP Mark III, GRP Gull Spirit and GRP Gull Calypso. Today it is popular with sailing schools, especially in the UK.

The original prototype Gull (the "Jolly Roger") was built by Ian Proctor to teach his own children the skills of dinghy sailing. This became a production boat, often built from a kit, and produced by Smallcraft of Blockley. A GRP version was produced from 1966 but, being a near-exact copy of the wooden boat, was not well suited to GRP manufacture.

A Mark II was introduced as a cheaper GRP version without a permanent fore-deck, but did not prove very popular. The original boats became known as Mark 1 and wooden boats, probably mainly from kits, continued to be built to this specification. In the late 1970s a Mark 3 was produced, starting with no 1800. This was a radical redesign featuring a round bilge hull, greater beam and side decks. The design was optimised for and only available in GRP. Few wooden boats are believed to have been built after the Mk3 came out.

The Gull Spirit, introduced in the late 1990s by Anglo Marine Services, was a major redesign in GRP: principally a return to a double-chine hull similar to those used on the original wooden boats. The Spirit's interior was in many respects cloned from the larger Wanderer sailing dinghy (another Ian Proctor design). It was later followed by the Gull Calypso, a simplified design by Hartley Laminates with no wooden parts.

The Gull has a reputation as a safe and stable boat but, particularly with the addition of a spinnaker, it is raced competitively. It is classed as a two-person boat but can easily be launched, sailed and recovered single-handed, making it a suitable cruising boat for the solo sailor. It can easily be rowed (with the addition of rowlocks) and can be fitted with an outboard engine. Hence, it is a very versatile boat.

As of August 2013 there is now a new Gull available. The Mark 6 Gull has been redesigned and modernized and is now available from the builders, Hartley Laminates UK.

Gull was a UK record label founded in 1974. Owned by Gull Entertainments Ltd., it was associated to Morgan Sound Studio, and was distributed by Pye Records and Decca Records. It was also distributed by Motown in the USA.

Major bands on its books included Judas Priest, IF, Steve Ashley, Seventh Wave and Isotope.

Gulls, often referred to as seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns (family Sternidae) and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. Until the 21st century, most gulls were placed in the genus Larus, but this arrangement is now known to be polyphyletic, leading to the resurrection of several genera. An older name for guIls is mew, cognate with German Möwe, Danish måge, Dutch meeuw, and French mouette; this term can still be found in certain regional dialects.

Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls, stout, longish bills, and webbed feet. Most gulls, particularly Larus species, are ground-nesting carnivores, which take live food or scavenge opportunistically. Live food often includes crabs and small fish. Gulls have unhinging jaws which allow them to consume large prey. Apart from the kittiwakes, gulls are typically coastal or inland species, rarely venturing far out to sea. The large species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. Large white-headed gulls are typically long-lived birds, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded for the herring gull.

Gulls nest in large, densely packed noisy colonies. They lay two or three speckled eggs in nests composed of vegetation. The young are precocial, being born with dark mottled down, and mobile upon hatching.

Gulls—the larger species in particular—are resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly developed social structure. For example, many gull colonies display mobbing behaviour, attacking and harassing would-be predators and other intruders. Certain species (e.g. the herring gull) have exhibited tool use behaviour, using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish, for example. Many species of gulls have learned to coexist successfully with humans and have thrived in human habitats. Others rely on kleptoparasitism to get their food. Gulls have been observed preying on live whales, landing on the whale as it surfaces to peck out pieces of flesh.