~ 1
■ noun
1》 an uncastrated male bovine animal.
2》 a large male animal, e.g. a whale or elephant.
3》 Brit. a ~seye.
4》 Stock Exchange a person who buys shares hoping to sell them at a higher price later. Often contrasted with bear 2 .
■ verb
1》 informal move powerfully or violently.
2》 ( be ~ing ) (of a cow) be on heat.
Phrases
like a ~ at a gate acting hastily and without thought.
like a ~ in a china shop behaving clumsily in a delicate situation.
take the ~ by the horns deal decisively with a difficult or unpleasant situation.
Origin
OE bula , from ON boli ; cf. ~ock .
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~ 2
■ noun a papal edict.
Origin
ME: from OFr. ~e , from L. ~a 'bubble, rounded object' (in med. L. 'seal or sealed document').
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~ 3
■ noun informal nonsense.
Origin
C17: of unknown origin.