1.
[syn: limey, John Bull]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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, or of the English
people.
John Bullism, English character. --W. Irving.
John Doe (Law), the name formerly given to the fictitious
plaintiff in an action of ejectment. --Mozley & W.
John Doree, John Dory. [John (or F. jaune yellow) +
Doree, Dory.] (Zool.) An oval, compressed, European food
fish (Zeus faber). Its color is yellow and olive, with
golden, silvery, and blue reflections. It has a round dark
spot on each side. Called also dory, doree, and St.
Peter's fish.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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. (Zool.) 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.
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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.
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At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun,
And the bright Bull receives him. --Thomson.
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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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
John Bull
n 1: a man of English descent [syn: limey, John Bull]