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Glite Dictionary
bull neck

bull neck

1 7.4
A very thick, short neck that makes someone look strong
  • noun
translation icon : cuello de toro
  • The wrestler's impressive physique was highlighted by his broad shoulders and powerful bull neck.

Examples

  • He had a strong build and a thick, muscular bull neck that showcased his strength.

  • With Monty tugging at him, Archie turned his bull neck so he could look at me to see what I was going to do.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • This fella had one of them bull necks, built like a little oak stump.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Another round of applause broke out when she wrapped her icy hands around his bull neck and gave an affectionate squeeze on her way to the kitchen.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • She admired the powerful appearance of the horse, especially its thick bull neck that signified strength.

Antonyms

slender
7 3.5

Small in amount or value

Surface Forms

bull neck singular
bull necks plural

Morphology

bull + neck

The meaning 'a thick, short, and powerful neck' is directly derivable from combining 'bull' (a large, powerful animal) with 'neck' (the body part), following a transparent noun–noun attributive pattern. Animal-based descriptive metaphors for body shape are cross-linguistically common, so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer this meaning.

Etymology

Bull neck comes from comparing a person's neck to a bull's heavy, powerful neck. Imagine a bull pushing with its head and showing a thick, short neck, so bull neck now means 'a very thick, strong neck'.