Definition

Noun: 1. A type of heavy plow: A bull tongue is a specific agricultural implement. It is characterized by being a heavy plow that has a single, wide, and pointed blade or share. This design is particularly suited for breaking and turning soil in specific conditions.

Usage

The term "bull tongue" is a technical and somewhat historical term from agriculture. It refers specifically to the tool itself. * It is used as a countable noun (e.g., a bull tongue, two bull tongues). * It is typically modified to describe its use or origin (e.g., a heavy bull tongue plow, an antique bull tongue).

Examples

• The farmer used a bull tongue to break the hard, unplowed ground.
• Before modern tractors, mules often pulled a single bull tongue through the fields.
• The museum's collection includes a bull tongue from the early 1900s.

Advanced Usage / Specialized Context

• The primary and most recognized use of "bull tongue" is in the context of historical agriculture in the southern United States, especially for cultivating crops like cotton and tobacco.
• Its design, with a single blade, made it different from multi-share plows and was well-suited for the dense, clay-rich soils found in those regions.

Variants and Related Words

• Bull-tongue plow: A fuller, more descriptive name for the same implement.
• Plowshare (noun): The cutting blade of a plow. The bull tongue has a single, distinctive plowshare.
• Turnplow (noun): Another term for a similar type of plow that turns the soil over in one direction.

Synonyms

• Single-share plow
• Turnplow (context-dependent)

Notes on Meaning

• The term is highly specific and not commonly used in everyday modern English. It belongs to the lexicon of agricultural history and tool collecting.
• It should not be confused with the literal tongue of a bull. The name likely comes from the shape of the plow's blade, which may have been thought to resemble the long, pointed tongue of a bull.

Noun

1. a heavy plow with a single wide blade; used chiefly in cotton fields