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to bulldog

to bulldog

9.9
To grab a bull by its horns and force it to the ground
  • verb
  • /ˈbʊlˌdɔɡ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : derribar sujetándolo por los cuernos
  • He could bulldog a steer as well as Charlie, Pecos, or Ned.

Examples

  • To win the competition, he had to bulldog the steer quickly and skillfully.

  • In the rodeo, he managed to bulldog the steer despite its wild movements.

  • She watched with excitement as the cowboy demonstrated how to bulldog a steer during the event.

Compounds

A small, muscular dog with a flat face and bat-like ears

A sturdy, medium-sized dog with a wide face and short coat often kept as a pet

1 2.9

A strong metal holder with a spring and flat ends for keeping papers together

bulldog ant
  • Australian
9.9

A large aggressive Australian ant with a strong sting and large jaws

A wrench that grips pipes and rounded bolts tightly

How Forceful

to bulldog
  • Jargon
9.9
to throw
880 7.5
to wrestle
123 1.8
to restrain
86 4.6
to guide
313 1.0

Surface Forms

bulldog infinitive
bulldogged past
bulldogged past participle
bulldogging present participle
bulldogs third person singular

Morphology

bulldog = bulldog (opaque) = bull + dog

The verb is formed by conversion from the noun 'bulldog', but the rodeo sense is a specialized extension that is not predictable from the dog sense.

Etymology

Bulldog as a rodeo verb comes from the dog's name and means 'to throw a steer by grabbing its horns and twisting its neck', a move that tries to hold and bring the animal down like a bulldog's strong grip. So to bulldog a steer is to use force and a firm hold, just like the dog.