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to bulldog

to bulldog

1 9.9
To grab a bull by its horns and force it to the ground
  • verb
  • /ˈbʊlˌdɔɡ/
  • Jargon
: 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
1 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
1 9.9
to throw
1 7.5
to wrestle
154 1.8
to restrain
233 4.6
to guide
260 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.