Definition

1. Noun:

   • A breed of dog: A sturdy, muscular, short-haired dog with a distinctive pushed-in nose, a large head, and a strong, undershot lower jaw. Originally bred in England for bull-baiting.
   • (Figurative) A tenacious person: A person characterized by stubborn courage, persistence, or tenacity.

2. Verb:

   • To throw a steer: In rodeo, to throw a steer to the ground by seizing its horns and twisting its neck.
   • To attack or subdue fiercely: To confront or overcome with fierce, tenacious, or relentless determination.

Examples

• Noun:

  • The bulldog is known for its loyalty and distinctive wrinkled face.
  • As a negotiator, she was a real bulldog, never giving up on a deal.

• Verb:

  • The cowboy managed to bulldog the steer in record time.
  • The reporter bulldogged the politician with difficult questions until she got an answer.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a bulldog grip/tenacity": To hold onto something or persist with great determination.
  • He has a bulldog grip on his principles and never compromises.

Variants and Related Words

• Bulldogged (adj): Showing the stubborn persistence characteristic of a bulldog.
  • Her bulldogged determination led to the project's success.
• Bulldogging (n): The rodeo event of steer wrestling.
  • Bulldogging is a classic rodeo event.

Synonyms

• Noun (for the tenacious person): Tenacious person, persistent person, determined individual.
• Verb (for the action of subduing): Wrestle, subdue, overpower.

Related Phrases

• Bulldog clip: A strong metal clip with two levers, used for holding papers together. (Named for its strong grip, reminiscent of the dog's bite.)
  • Please secure these documents with a bulldog clip.
• Bulldog edition: An early edition of a newspaper.
  • The story was in the bulldog edition, so it hit the streets very early.

Idioms

• Like a bulldog with a bone: Refusing to let go of an idea, argument, or task; extremely tenacious.
  • Once he gets an idea, he's like a bulldog with a bone.

Noun

1. a sturdy thickset short-haired breed with a large head and strong undershot lower jaw; developed originally in England for bull baiting

Verb

1. throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting the neck, as in a rodeo
2. attack viciously and ferociously