bull 1
— bull-like , adj.
/bool/ , n.
1. the male of a bovine animal, esp. of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.
2. the male of certain other animals, as the elephant and moose.
3. a large, solidly built person.
4. a person who believes that market prices, esp. of stocks, will increase (opposed to bear ).
5. ( cap. ) Astron., Astrol. the constellation or sign of Taurus.
6. a bulldog.
7. Slang. a police officer.
8. bull in a china shop ,
a. an awkward or clumsy person.
b. an inconsiderate or tactless person.
c. a troublemaker; dangerous person.
9. take the bull by the horns , to attack a difficult or risky problem fearlessly.
adj.
10. male.
11. of, pertaining to, or resembling a bull, as in strength.
12. having to do with or marked by a continuous trend of rising prices, as of stocks: a bull market.
v.t.
13. Stock Exchange. to attempt to raise the price of.
14. to speculate in, in expectation of a rise in price.
15. to force; shove: to bull one's way through a crowd.
16. Naut. to ram (a buoy).
[ 1150-1200; ME bule, OE bula; akin to ON boli; see BULLOCK ]
bull 2
/bool/ , n.
1. a bulla or seal.
2. Rom. Cath. Ch. a formal papal document having a bulla attached.
[ 1250-1300; ME bulle bulla seal, sealed document; see BULLA ]
bull 3
/bool/ , n. Slang.
1. exaggerations; lies; nonsense.
2. shoot the bull , to talk aimlessly: We just sat around shooting the bull.
[ 1620-30; bulla play, game, jest, perh. special use of L bulla bubble; now generally taken as a euphemistic shortening of BULLSHIT ]