bullyn.¹

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Forms: 1500s–1600s bullye, 1600s– bully, 1800s buly.

Origin: Of unknown origin.

Etymology: Origin unknown. Perhaps related to (and if so perhaps < ) Middle Dutch, Dutch boel male relative, comrade, playmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, (in early modern Dutch also ‘prostitute’; now rare), itself related to Middle High German bōle and Middle High German buole (German †Buhle ), both in the meanings ‘near relative’ and ‘lover (of either sex)’; further etymology uncertain and disputed. Perhaps compare the form boolie listed as an ‘old word’ meaning ‘beloved’ in E. Phillips New World Eng. Words (1658) and in later dictionaries; if a genuine form, and if related to the present word, this may support the assumption of a relationship with the words in continental West Germanic languages. A variant of the same word may be shown by billy n.¹, which shows a striking similarity in form and meaning, although the difference in the stem vowel is not easy to account for; it is possible that the two words are of distinct origin, and have simply influenced one another through mutual association.Sense development. Although the main senses are relatively close together in date, it appears that those at branch I. reflect the original use (as a term of endearment; compare also bully adj.¹), and that the senses at branch II. developed from them. There seems no strong reason for supposing that the senses at branch II. are of distinct origin from those at branch I. Sense 3a probably shows a specific development from sense 2, perhaps originally with allusion to the close relationship between the members of a group, or perhaps showing a similar pejoration to that shown by bravo n.¹ Folk-etymological association with bull n.¹ may also have played a part in this development (compare bullock v.). Sense 4 was probably originally an ironic or euphemistic development from sense 1.

I. As a term of endearment, and related uses.

†1. As term of endearment and familiar form of address to a companion. Originally applied to either sex (cf. darling n.¹ 1a, sweetheart n. 1a); later usually restricted to use between men, implying that the person addressed is a close friend or good fellow. Frequently prefixed to the name or a designation of the person addressed. Cf. bully rook n. 1. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun]

darlingc888

belamy?c1225

culver?c1225

dearc1230

sweetheartc1290

heartc1300

sweetc1330

honeya1375

dovec1386

jewelc1400

birdc1405

cinnamonc1405

honeycombc1405

lovec1405

wantonc1450

mulling?a1475

daisyc1485

crowdy-mowdy?a1513

honeysop?a1513

powsowdie?a1513

suckler?a1513

foolc1525

buttinga1529

whitinga1529

beautiful1534

turtle-dove1535

soula1538

heartikin1540

bully?1548

turtle1548

lamba1556

nyletc1557

sweet-lovea1560

coz1563

ding-ding1564

pugs1566

golpol1568

sparling1570

lover1573

pug1580

bulkin1582

mopsy1582

chuck1589

bonny1594

chick1594

sweetikin1596

ladybird1597

angel1598

muss1598

pinkany1599

sweetkin1599

duck1600

joy1600

sparrowc1600

sucket1605

nutting1606

chuckaby1607

tickling1607

bagpudding1608

heartling1608

chucking1609

dainty1611

flittermouse1612

honeysuckle1613

fubs1614

bawcocka1616

pretty1616

old thinga1625

bun1627

duckling1630

bulchin1633

bulch?c1640

sweetling1648

friscoa1652

ding-dongs1662

buntinga1668

cocky1680

dearie1681

chucky1683

lovey1684

machree1689

nykin1693

pinkaninny1696

nug1699

hinny1724

puss1753

pet1767

dovey1769

sweetie1778

lovey-dovey1781

lovely1791

ducky1819

toy1822

acushla1825

alanna1825

treat1825

amigo1830

honey child1832

macushla1834

cabbage1840

honey-bunch1874

angel pie1878

m'dear1887

bach1889

honey baby1895

prawn1895

hon1896

so-and-so1897

cariad1899

pumpkin1900

honey-bun1902

pussums1912

snookums1919

treasure1920

wogger1922

amico1929

sugar1930

baby cake1949

angel cake1951

lamb-chop1962

petal1974

bae2006

?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature ii. sig. Biiij^v The woman hath a wytt, And by her gere can sytt, Though she be sumwhat olde. It is myne owne swete bullye, My muskyne and my mullye.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iv. i. 49 From my hart strings I loue the louely bully.

1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. i. 8 What saiest thou, bully, Bottome?

1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor ii. iii. 17 Blesse thee my bully doctor.

1678 Wits led by Nose v. 50 Good Bully Sympleton, how like an Ass you look now.

1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison IV. xv. 115 I haue promised to be with the sweet Bully early in the morning of her important day.

1825 Universal Songster I. 420/1 If nobody bids for the poor sweet elf, Knock her down, my dear Buly—and keep her yourself.

1910 P. W. Joyce Eng. as we speak it in Ireland 46/2 Bully, a term of endearment to a fine child.

2. A comrade, companion, or associate; spec. a fellow member of a working crew or gang. Frequently as a familiar form of address.After the 18th cent. chiefly English regional (north-eastern), in the context of the coal industry, and U.S. Now apparently only in historical fiction.

ΚΠ

1604 T. Dekker Newes from Graues-end Ep. Ded. sig. ^B2 All the chiefe Mariners..leapt from the sterne..when they saw a most cruel man of warre pursue them.., crying out onely, Put your trust in God my Bullies, & not in vs.

1789 Recovery 11 How now, my bullies? What's the matter? Cease, if you please, this horrid clatter.

1825 J. T. Brockett Gloss. North Country Words (at cited word) Now generally used among keelmen and pitmen to designate their brothers, as bully Jack, bully Bob, etc.

1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover II. x. 287 I give open warning to all, that, if a finger is put upon one of my bullies, unless, as I have said in the way of discipline, it will be answered with a blow.

1863 Tyneside Songs 61 Marrows, cries a bully, aw've an idea..We'll find Sir John Franklin.

1972 B. Jackson In Life 256 Raise 'em up old bullies, let's go.

2003 C. J. Sansom Dissolution (2004) 434 ‘We're through, bullies,’ a voice echoed from above.

II. A person who behaves in an aggressive, violent, or threatening manner, and related senses.

a. Originally: a man given to or characterized by riotous, thuggish, and threatening behaviour; one who behaves in a blustering, swaggering, and aggressive manner. Now: a person who habitually seeks to harm, coerce, or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable; a person who engages in bullying. Cf. bullying n.In early use often used to describe groups of disorderly and aggressive young men frequenting the streets of London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (cf. Hector n. 2). In the later 18th and early 19th centuries increasingly in wider use, denoting people whose behaviour is viewed as comparable to or reminiscent of the earlier street bullies, and by the later 19th cent. strongly associated with bullying amongst schoolchildren. Subsequent developments are typically extensions of the idea of the school bully, e.g. in other institutions, the workplace, etc., with connotations of victimization and the vulnerability of the victim having fully replaced the connotations of disorderly or riotous behaviour present in earlier use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > person

tyrant1377

routera1500

termagant1508

ruffy?a1513

ruffiana1525

pander1593

thunderbolt1593

bully1604

ruffiano1611

tearer1633

violentoa1661

boy1662

violent1667

hardhead1774

Arab1788

ring-tailed roarer1828

blood-tub1853

tornado1863

stormer1886

hooligan1898

Apache1902

ned1910

rough-up1911

radge1923

goonda1926

pretty-boy1931

tough baby1932

bad-john1935

hoon1938

shit-kicker1954

tough boy1958

oafo1959

ass-kicker1962

droog1962

trog1983

the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > villainy > villain > [noun] > tyrannizing weak

bully1604

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > [noun] > restraint or compulsion by threats > bullying > one who

bully1604

crybully1999

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > violent treatment or force > masterful or bullying > person

slasher1559

cutter1569

bangsterc1570

hackster1574

hacker1576

swish-swash1582

burgullian1601

bully1604

bully ruffian1653

huff1674

bully-back1693

bully beau1696

shoulder-hitter1856

shoulder-striker1860

whitecapper1887

Macoute1991

1604 Meeting of Gallants sig. C1 I haue them [sc. tales] at my tongues end my Gallant Bullyes of fiue and twenty, my dainty liberall Landlords I haue them for you.

1689 T. Shadwell Bury-Fair iv. 47 A Lady is no more to be accounted a Beauty, till she has kill'd her Man, than the Bullies think one a fine Gentleman, till he has kill'd his.

1696 T. Dilke Lover's Luck iv. 33 The Bullies set him on his Head, and shake all the Money out of his Pockets.

1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical iii. 21 Turn out there you Country Put, says a Bully with a Sword two Yards long.

1780 A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. (1804) II. 296 The most swaggering, swearing bullies in fine weather, were the most pitiful wretches on earth, when death appeared before them.

1811 Speeches H. Grattan I. 143 Mr. Grattan, however, whose spirit is not inclined to bend, or surrender to official petulance, or the ranting and swagger of Government bullies, was not to be deterred.

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. viii. 204 He forgets everything except their old resolve, never to be beaten by that bully Flashman.

1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) Roughskins, a gang of Baltimore bullies.

1879 A. Reed Alice Bridge 193 He protected little boys from bullies with patronly kindness.

1884 Sat. Rev. 12 July 46/1 The military riding-master is occasionally inclined to be something of a bully.

1946 Broons & Oor Wullie: Rare Treat (2001) 68/5 Ye're just a bully, ye big, muckle tattie-heid!

1991 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 10 Nov. 24/3 Francis, a word nerd, is an archetypal target for bullies.

1996 Independent 8 Mar. 4/3 Management bullies are costing British business billions of pounds, an expert warned yesterday.

1996 R. Doyle Woman who walked into Doors xix. 120 He was different too. He'd become a bitter little pill and a bully.

2016 Economist 24 Dec. 94/1 A rough childhood left him with a loathing for bullies.

†b. A thug or ruffian hired for purposes of violence or intimidation. Cf. bully boy n. 2. Obsolete. N.E.D. (1888) records this sense as archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > ruffianly conduct > ruffian > [noun] > hired

myrmidon1647

bully1703

striker1836

goon1938

the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > villainy > villain > [noun] > hired

brave1606

bravo1609

bully1703

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > violent treatment or force > masterful or bullying > person > hired

brave1606

bravo1609

myrmidon1647

bully rook1673

bully1703

striker1836

night-rider1856

bully boy1881

strong arm1893

trigger man1930

goon1938

1703 Hist. & Polit. Mercury Oct. 384 Vendosme will have a Name in History to have been the French King's Bully, to Hector Soveraign Princes out of their Kingdoms.

1720 T. Gordon Learned Diss. Old Women 18 She tried all Means whatsoever, sometimes scolding, sometimes beseeching, sometimes tricking, and sometimes hiring Bullies to fight for her.

1730 H. Fielding Tom Thumb (ed. 2) ii. i. 7 Were he..a Bully, a Highway-man, or Prize-fighter, I'd nab him.

1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab iv. 54 These are the hired bravos who defend The tyrant's throne—the bullies of his fear.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 204 A gang of bullies was secretly sent to slit the nose of the offender.

1901 F. W. Rolfe Chron. House Borgia 138 The Duke of Gandia's bully was found on Piazza Giudei, wounded by the steel of an assassin.

4. A man who takes a share or all of the earnings of a prostitute, usually in return for arranging clients, providing protection, etc.; a pimp. Also: †a man who works as a bodyguard or protector of prostitutes in a brothel (obsolete). Cf. bully-back n., bully hack n. Now archaic or historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > pimping or procuring > procurer of either sex > pimp

putourc1390

panderc1450

mitchera1500

apple-squire?1536

squire of dames or ladies1590

apron-squire1593

bed-broker1594

pimp1600

pippin squire1600

petticoat-monger1605

smockster1608

underputter1608

broker-between1609

squire of the placket1611

squire1612

fleshmongera1616

cock bawd1632

whiskin1632

pimp-whiskin1638

bully1675

foot pimp1690

mutton-broker1694

pimp whisk1707

flash-man1789

panderer1826

bludger1856

whoremaster1864

mack1894

lover1904

jelly bean1905

procureur1910

P.I.1928

sweetback1929

sweet man1942

nookie-bookie1943

papasan1970

society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > living on earnings of prostitute > man who > protector of prostitute or courtesan

ruffian1563

hackster1607

ruffiano1611

bully1675

cosh-carrier1893

protector1938

1675 R. Head Proteus Redivivus v. 60 I shall come to describe the subtle Wheedling practices of Bawds, Whores, Pimps, Bully's, &c.

1706 D. Defoe Jure Divino i. 9 Mars the Celestial Bully they adore, And Venus for an Everlasting Whore.

1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem iii. 37 Sull. What! Murther your Husband, to defend your Bully. Mrs. Sull. Bully! for shame..Bullies wear long Swords.

1711 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 249 A bully that will fight for a whore, and run away in an army.

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 107. ⁋12 The bully and the bawd, who fatten on their misery.

1817 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 36 1418 Would he be less the bully of a brothel?

1832 W. M. Thackeray Let. 28 Apr. (1945) I. 196 Found Kinderley tipsy with a common beast of the town, & took him away from her... She threatens to set her bully on me.

1946 R. Graves Poems 1938–45 34 Commissionaire at a picture-house, Or, some say, bully to a whore.

2002 Restoration 26 92 Otway acknowledges that London does have a criminal side: walking in the Mall the protagonists encounter whores and bullies.

Phrases

Proverb. a bully is always a coward (and variants): expressing that people who habitually seeks to harm, coerce, or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable (see sense 3a) will invariably back down if their victims show the least resistance or opposition.

ΚΠ

1699 Country Gentleman's Vade-mecum xvi. 120 I need not tell you, that a Bully's a Coward; the two Names are too Convertible, to want an Explication.

1758 Moral & Crit. Refl. 141 Those who make the most pompous Promises, are the most unwilling to perform them.—A Bully is always a Coward.

1853 T. C. Haliburton Sam Slick's Wise Saws I. v. 105 A brave man is sometimes a desperado. A bully is always a coward.

1950 E. Blyton Mr Pink-Whistle Interferes xii. 150 ‘A couple of bullies!’ said Mr Pink-Whistle. ‘Well, well—bullies are always cowards.’

1969 D. Wright Deafness (1990) iv. 41 He was no chickenheart (the superstition that bullies are cowards doesn't bear looking at).

2021 @MarkHPearson 17 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 24 Nov. 2021) Bullies are always cowards stand up to them and watch them scuttle.

Compounds

C1. As a modifier (in sense 3).

a. With the sense ‘that is both a bully and a ——’, as in bully poet, bully rake, bully ranter, etc. Now only in bully boy (see bully boy n. 2).In some examples passing into adjectival use. Cf. bully adj.¹

ΚΠ

?1680 Babylon Blazon'd 7 Schoolmen..her Honour justify'd in Words, As bully Jesuits plot to do with Swords.

1683 W. Soames tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Art of Poetry 36 Affected Wits will nat'urally incline To paint their Figures by their own design: Your Bully Poets, Bully Heroes write.

1710 E. Ward Life Don Quixote i. ii. 33 He Combats like that Bully-Rake, That only fights for Fighting's sake.

1710 J. Swift in J. Swift & R. Steele Tatler No. 238 Those Bully Greeks, who, as the Moderns do, Instead of paying Chair-men, run them thro'.

a1716 W. Wycherley Posthumous Wks. (1728) I. 5 The bully scribbler..is beat out of his bravadoes only for assuming them.

1735 S.-Carolina Gaz. 30 Aug. 2/2 Two Hotspurs.., To give the World proof they were right bully ranters, Talk'd big to each other of prowess and fighting.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. iii. iii. 159 Bully-swordsmen, ‘Spadassins’ of that party, go swaggering.

b. With the sense ‘of, relating to, or characteristic of a bully’, as in bully mentality, bully tactics.

ΚΠ

1881 Quincy (Illinois) Daily Herald 5 June 1/1 Mr. A. W. Campbell..so effectively thwarted Conkling's bully tactics in the Chicago convention.

1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. iv. 94 A bully imposition of sheer physical ascendancy.

1895 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 8 Oct. 4/7 He was an Illinois man himself, and was not used to this sort of bully politics.

1940 Daily Tel. 24 Oct. 4/7 Ninety-nine per cent of Germans have the bully mentality.

1992 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 17 July c12 A special children's course on abuse, abduction and ‘bully prevention’.

2006 J. Mendoza Mad Blue Smoke (2007) 48 My sisters have this bully attitude that they can treat me anyway they like.

2021 @adam_blom 4 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 5 Nov. 2021) Complete bully mentality—only pick on those weaker, smaller or more vulnerable than you.

C2.

bully court n. (in the United Kingdom) a school meeting at which, under teacher supervision, pupils adjudicate on instances of bullying.

ΚΠ

1989 Times 18 Oct. 3/1 Bully courts have been set up at 30 primary schools in England and Wales. Punishments have included bans on school trips and on using playgrounds and tasks such as tidying classrooms.

2001 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 30 Aug. 11 A pilot study by the charity Kidscape found that some schools using bully courts had reduced the level of bullying 90 per cent in only six months.

2010 Star (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 14 A significant and effective deterrent in Britain has been the institution in schools of ‘bully courts’.

† bully fop n. Obsolete a person who talks foolishly, pompously, or at great length, esp. to little purpose; an empty chatterer; spec. a person employed in a brothel to help deceive or swindle clients by engaging them in conversations or arguments.

ΚΠ

1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Bully-fop, a Maggot-pated, huffing, silly ratling Fellow.

a1790 H. T. Potter New Dict. Cant & Flash Langs. (1795) Bully Fop, a silly rattling fellow, kept in a bawdy-house for the purpose of deception.

bully van n. British slang a police van.Originally in the usage of black British teenagers and young adults.

ΚΠ

2009 @Ms_Kaydine 19 Apr. in twitter.com (accessed 5 Nov. 2021) That's ridiculous that no police are available, but it takes 10 bully vans to arrest one young boy.

2011 J. Cornish Attack Block (transcribed from film) Then Moses got shiffed by the feds and them things attacked the bully van and savaged the bluefoot so we jacked the van.

2020 @7dimii 30 June in twitter.com (accessed 5 Nov. 2021) Police getting more bored by the day, whole bully van parked cos a black yute riding his bike.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022).

bullyn.²

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Origin: Of unknown origin.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps connected with bully adj.¹ or bully n.¹, or perhaps with bullheaded adj.

1. Eton Football. A mêlée, a scrimmage.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > other forms of football > [noun] > Eton > scrimmage

rouge1832

bully1865

1865 W. L. Collins Etoniana xv. 213 Knees put out in the fierce football bully.

1873 M. Collins Squire Silchester II. xvii. 213 A youngster who has held his own in a football bully.

2. Hockey. The procedure of putting the ball in play by two players, one from each side, who strike with their sticks, first the ground then their opponent's stick, three times, after which the ball is in play. Also bully-off.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > [noun] > bully-off or hit-off

bully1883

hit off1893

centre bully1897

1883 Boy's Own Paper 13 Oct. 30/1 The game shall be commenced and renewed by a bully in the centre of the ground.

1895 H. F. P. Battersby Hockey 92 From the bully off until his opponents' ‘twenty-five’ is invaded.

1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 516/2 A penalty bully is given for deliberately unfair play by the defending side in their own circle.

1901 Daily News 28 Feb. 7/5 The Oxford centre-forward got away directly after the bully-off.

1963 Times 18 Feb. 3/7 West's centre forward put the ball into the net almost before South had moved from the bully.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

† bullyn.³

Forms: Also bullie.

Etymology: Compare booly n.

Obsolete.

A cottage, hut.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > hut or hovel > [noun]

hulka1000

boothc1200

hull?c1225

lodge1290

hottea1325

holetc1380

tavern1382

scalea1400

schura1400

tugury1412

donjon?a1439

cabinc1440

coshc1490

cabinet1579

bully1598

crib1600

shed1600

hut1637

hovela1640

boorachc1660

barrack1686

bothy1750

corf1770

rancho1819

shanty1820

kraal1832

shelty1834

shackle1835

mia-mia1837

wickiup1838

caboose1839

chantier1849

hangar1852

caban1866

shebang1867

humpy1873

shack1878

hale1885

bach1927

jhuggi1927

favela1961

hokkie1973

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Tugurio, a shepherds cottage, bully or shead.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Tugure,..a shepheards shed, or bullie.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021).

bullyn.⁴

Forms: Also 1700s bullet.

Etymology: Etymology uncertain: variously referred to English bully , dialect form of bullace n. (compare the 2nd quot.), and to French boulet de canon (lit. cannon-ball) ‘fruit d'un arbre de la Guiane’ (Boiste). The form bullet occurs only late, and the French name may be due to popular etymology.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈbully.

attributive in bully bay, bully-berry tree, bully tree, names for certain genera of the order Sapotaceæ, also for a species of Mimusops (all natives of the West Indies and of Guyana).

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular timber trees or shrubs > non-British timber trees > [noun] > of South America or West Indies > balata

bully bay1657

balata1858

melkboom1917

1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 14 Loftie trees, as the Palmeto, Royall..Bully, Redwood.

1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 73 The Bully tree..bears a fruit like a Bullis in England.

1693 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 621 The Sope-Berry..Indian Damozen, and the Bully Bay.

1725 H. Sloane Voy. Islands II. 124 When old it had a great many sulci not unlike the Bully tree.

1750 G. Hughes Nat. Hist. Barbados 177 The Bully-Berry tree..a very durable timber tree.

1796 J. G. Stedman Narr. Exped. Surinam II. xxviii. 335 The bullet-tree..the bark is grey and smooth, the timber brown, variegated or powdered with white specks.

1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. Bully or Bullet Tree..a species of Mimusops.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021).

bullyn.⁵

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Etymology: ? < bull n.¹, or corruption of French bouilli boiled meat.

Pickled or tinned beef. Also as bully beef.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > preserved meat > [noun] > salted meat

Martinmas meatc1450

Martinmas beefc1475

powder beef1479

Martinmas flesh1656

Irish horse1748

bully1753

junk1762

salt junk1792

salt horse1836

red horse1864

hunter's beef1879

bullamacow1887

Jack1890

macon1939

1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom I. xxiv. 160 I could get no eatables upon the ruoad, but what they called Bully, which looks like the flesh of Pharaoh's lean kine stewed into rags and tatters.

1788 J. Woodforde Diary 18 Sept. (1927) III. 47 We had for Dinner some Hare Soup, a Couple of Chicken boiled and Ham—Some Beef Bulley, Stewed Pork—Partridges,..&c.

1883 Clark Russell in Longman's Mag. III. 2 I have been shipmates with a man who grew white-haired at thirty on soup and bully.

1884 J. Macdonald in 19th Cent. June 1002 The colonel..was..quietly consuming..his luncheon of ‘bully beef’ and whiskey.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

bullyn.⁶

Origin: Of unknown origin.

Etymology: Origin unknown.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈbully.

A pattern of miner's hammer, varying from ‘ broad bully’ to ‘ narrow bully’. Raymond Mining Gloss.

ΚΠ

1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 113 Bully, a pattern of miners' hammer, varying from ‘broad-bully’ to ‘narrow-bully’.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2019).

bullyn.⁷

Forms: 1800s– bully, 1900s– bulley.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly formed within English, by derivation. Partly formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymons: bullhead n., bullfinch n.¹, -y suffix⁶; cockabully n.

Etymology: In sense 1 < bull- (in bullhead n. and bullfinch n.¹) + -y suffix⁶. In sense 2 probably partly a specific semantic development of sense 1, and partly shortened < cockabully n. (see discussion at that entry).

1. Dialect name for some kind of fish; cf. bullhead n. (Also short for bullfinch n.¹)

ΚΠ

1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I. ii. 41 Turning the stones for ‘shannies’ and ‘bullies’, and other..fish left by the tide.

2. = cockabully n. New Zealand.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Salmoniformes (salmon or trout) > [noun] > member of family Galaxiidae

mudfish1502

inanga1845

cockabully1874

smig1879

mountain trout1882

kokopu1886

jolly-tail1892

minnow1898

bully1912

1912 B. E. Baughan Brown Bread from Colonial Oven 2 The beloved creek where bullies wait the hook.

1943 G. E. Mannering 80 Years in N.Z. xxi. 158 In the North Island the bully run follows the whitebait.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021).

bullyadj.¹adv.int.

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bully n.¹

Etymology: < bully n.¹

A. adj.¹ As a term of general commendation or approval.

1. Of a person: distinguished by worthy or commendable qualities; admirable, fine.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > worth > [adjective]

dearc888

dearworthc888

worthlyeOE

oughtsOE

worthfulOE

aughtOE

richa1225

gildenc1225

of pricea1325

worthya1325

of (‥) valourc1330

prow1340

dearworthyc1374

of value1395

pricefula1400

presc1400

singularc1400

goldena1425

well-foundc1475

valiant1481

prized1487

prowousa1500

valuable1567

prizable1569

valorous1592

suit-worth1594

bully1600

estimable1600

treasurable1607

treasurous?1611

treasured1675

pearly1770

at a premium1828

keep-worthy1830

good value1842

1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. B^v Ile shaue it [sc. this beard] off, and stuffe tennis balls with it to please my bully king.

1689 J. Chetham Angler's Vade Mecum (ed. 2) Pref. From such Bully Fishers, this Book expects no other Reception.

a1845 T. Hood Lamia v, in W. Jerdan Autobiogr. (1852) I. 282 Here bully mates, These, Lady, are my friends.

1885 C. A. Siringo Texas Cow Boy vi. 66 The cook..thought I was a bully boy.

1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 19/1 ‘Say, Pete, she's a bully girl, once you melt the ice.’

1963 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman 15 Dec. (Show World section) 21/2 Whether shaking his fist at a political rally or charging up San Juan Hill or as in this book hunting big game in Africa, TR [sc. Theodore Roosevelt] is TR. A bully fellow.

1997 Economist 20 Dec. 25/1 In the eternal contest between bully chaps who enjoy a laugh and the miserable dullards who seek to prevent them, who is winning?

2. U.S. Designating a particularly impressive boat, esp. one that is quicker or better equipped than others of the same type or plying the same waters. Chiefly in bully boat. Cf. first rate adj. 1.After the mid 19th cent. only in somewhat archaic use or (now typically) in occasional examples which are indistinguishable from sense A. 3.

ΚΠ

1839 H. Lane Wandering Boy 17 At Poughkeepsie, I got on board of a new sloop, a bully sailor, called the Ann Maria, and left her as soon as she struck the wharf at New-York.

1841 H. J. Mercier & W. Gallop Life in Man-of-War 218 The launch of the United States Ship Dale, took this opportunity of trying her speed with the bully boat of the Constitution.

1847 W. T. Porter Quarter Race Kentucky 126 Our ‘bully’ boat sped away like a bird.

1921 R. R. Terry Shanty Bk. 45 O the bully boat is coming, Down the Mississippi floating.

1999 P. Caputo Voyage (2000) 101 It's a bully boat, we've got plenty of food aboard, and so we'll make the best of it.

3. Originally U.S. Very good, excellent. Now chiefly North American.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective] > very excellent or first-rate

gildenc1225

prime1402

rare1483

grand1542

holy1599

pre-excelling1600

paregal1602

classic1604

of (the) first rate1650

solary1651

first rate1674

superb1720

tip-top1722

tip-top-gallant1730

swell1819

topping1822

of the first (also finest, best, etc.) water1826

No. 11829

brag1836

A11837

A No. 11838

number one1839

awful1843

bully1851

first class1852

class1867

champion1880

too1881

tipping1887

alpha plus1898

bonzer1898

grade A1911

gold star1917

world-ranking1921

five-star1936

too much1937

first line1938

vintage1939

supercolossal1947

top1953

alpha1958

fantabulous1959

beauty1963

supercool1965

world-class1967

primo1973

1851 W. Carleton Willy Reilly v, in Weekly News 8 Feb. 143/3 The cook, will give you a bully dinner.

1870 H. Meade Ride New Zealand 331 The roof fell in, there was a ‘bully’ blaze.

1875 N. Amer. Rev. 120 128 ‘That's bully!’ exclaimed Tweed.

1916 A. Pollitzer Let. Dec. in G. O'Keeffe & A. Pollitzer Compl. Corr. (1990) 229 I bet she's having a bully time—is Texas big enough for her to shoot around in.

1930 R. W. Service Coll. Verse 72 It's bully in a high-toned joint to eat and drink your fill, But it's quite another matter when you Pay the bill.

2015 Toronto Life Oct. 94 An hour and a half after listing the house, Banerjee and Kumar received a bully offer of $1.1 million, $151,000 over asking.

B. adv.

1. As an intensifier: very, exceedingly. Often as a euphemism for bloody (see bloody adj. 8a). Cf. bally adv.

ΚΠ

1853 Yankee-notions July 200/1 Dat's a bully fine fowlin'-piece.

1864 C. George Let. 23 Feb. in J. A. Davis Bully for Band! (2012) iv. 126 They had a bully good time.

1903 ‘C. E. Merriman’ Lett. from Son vi. 75 The car is bully well stocked with things.

1943 Escanaba (Mich.) Daily Press 4 July 3/1 A bully big stock it is too, of almost everything wanted for fall and winter wear.

2003 J. Beckman in B. Fishman Wild East 199 It's a bully good thing you're doing here.

2. Very well, excellently. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1863 G. W. Whitman Let. 25 Feb. in Civil War Lett. (1975) 89 I shall have my tent fixed up Bully in a day or two.

1900 H. Garland Eagle's Heart v. 63 He's a dandy ball-player, and skates bully.

1927 S. Lewis Elmer Gantry xviii. 254 You see how bully it came out!

1949 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 5 May 18/1 Mr R. Burke as Fitz-Henry Starch, done bully.

C. int. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.).

Used as an exclamation expressing satisfaction, approval, or agreement. Cf. sense A. 3.Apparently originally U.S. Army slang.

ΚΠ

1861 Cincinnati Daily Press 25 Oct. 1/2 ‘Bully’ is the highest term of commendation, while dissent is expressed in the remark, ‘I don't see it’.

1868 H. L. Williams Black-Eyed Beauty vii. 36 Oh! you peppered the big Johny Bull of a moll! Good for you! Bully!

1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xiv. 178 Bully! Corking! You had a lot of pep.

2014 time.com 16 Feb. (accessed 4 Nov. 2021) Turn down a hall and you can hear the brisk strut of a fellow saying, ‘Bully! Absolutely ripping!’

Phrases

colloquial. bully for you (also him, her, etc.): used to express approval or admiration for something said or done by the specified person, or enjoyment in the person's success or good fortune. Now often ironic, expressing scorn, jealousy, etc. Cf. good for you at good adj., n., adv., and int. Phrases 6d(a).

ΚΠ

1856 W. Whitman Leaves of Grass (new ed.) 220 Bully for you! you proud, friendly, free Manhattanese!

1864 Daily Tel. 18 Nov. The freckles have vanished, and bully for you.

1909 G. Stratton-Porter Girl of Limberlost 453 ‘Well bully for her!’ said Mrs. Comstock. ‘She's a little thoroughbred after all!’

1986 Crafts May 10/3 Bully for the hobbyists who supply such a booming industry with trade.

2000 K. Charles Cruel Habitations (2001) xv. 283 ‘Oh, bully for you,’ she sneered. ‘Aren't you noble one?’

Compounds

bully pulpit n. U.S. Politics a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with the opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any issue.Apparently originally used by United States President Theodore Roosevelt to explain his personal view of the presidency.In later use sometimes understood as showing bully n.¹ 3a.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > office > [noun] > office with opportunity for speaking out

bully pulpit1909

1909 Outlook (N.Y.) 27 Feb. 430/1 He [sc. President Roosevelt]..swung round in his swivel chair, and said: ‘I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!’

1977 Newsweek 14 Feb. 23/3 Carter took to what Theodore Roosevelt once called the bully pulpit of the White House.

1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 16 Jan. a12/1 What power the governor had comes from good will and the ‘bully pulpit’ of the office.

2015 N.Y. Mag. 5 Oct. 42/2 He is, after all, the man with the electoral mandate, the bully pulpit, the veto pen, the executive order.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022).

bullyadj.²

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Etymology: < bull n.¹ + -y suffix¹.

Resembling a bulldog.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > other types of dog > [adjective] > like a bulldog

bulldog1855

bully1884

bulldogged1904

1884 M. E. Braddon Phantom Fortune vii. 47 Angelina is bully about the muzzle.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

bullyv.¹

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bully n.¹

Etymology: < bully n.¹

a. transitive. To behave in an overbearing, intimidating, or aggressive manner towards (someone); (now usually) to seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable), esp. persistently or repeatedly. Also in negative constructions (e,g. we will not be bullied): to intimidate or frighten into doing something. Cf. bully n.¹ 3a, bullying n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (transitive)]

awec1225

bashc1375

palla1393

argh1393

formengea1400

matea1400

boasta1522

quail1526

brag1551

appale1563

browbeat1581

adaw1590

overdare1590

dastard1593

strike1598

disdare1612

cowa1616

dare1619

daw1631

bounce1640

dastardize1645

intimidate1646

hector1664

out-hector1672

huff1674

bully1685

harass1788

bullyraga1790

major1829

haze1851

bullock1875

to push (someone) around1900

to put the frighteners in, on1958

psych1963

vibe1979

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > threaten (evil, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > restrain or force by threatening > bully

swagger1608

bounce1640

hector1664

huff1674

huff1680

bully1685

bullyraga1790

bullock1875

advantage1921

1685 R. Gould Laurel 32 He Poxt, and Bully'd all the Land.

1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 69 His poor neighbour is bully'd by his big appearance.

1747 Gentleman's Mag. May 247/1 The French observing that we were not to be bullied by their 17 sail, and knowing, if they run, their convoy must Fall into our hands, dropped all but nine from the line.

1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 119 He saw, that he had no chance of bullying the servant.

1874 C. C. F. Greville Mem. (1875) III. xxi. 8 For the purpose of bullying the House of Lords, who would not be bullied.

1931 E. Bowen Friends & Relations ii. ii. 59 Theodora no longer bullied her parents—they had, perhaps, the slightest possible sense of deprivation.

2009 Independent 29 Sept. 3/3 People used to bully him and I used to stick up for him.

b. transitive. To coerce, intimidate, or frighten (a person) into a specified course of action.With a complement expressing the action, esp. a prepositional phrase introduced by into, out of, to, e.g. They were bullied into silence.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (transitive)] > drive to or force by bullying

swagger1608

huff1680

bully1696

outbluster1747

1696 P. A. Motteux Loves of Mars & Venus iii. 20 My Courage comes, now Mars is gone. I'll not be Bullied into Patience.

1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 33 What ail you,..to Bully away our Customers so?

1747 S. Richardson Clarissa II. xxxvi. 248 They are in the right, not to be bullied out of their child.

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. iv. 444 They were bullied by the Plenipotentiaries to support him.

1854 Parl. Deb. 3rd Ser. 132 248 I..have no belief that Russia..would have been bullied into any change of policy.

1956 M. Dickens Angel in Corner (1960) 289 It's no use my trying to bully you into being happy.

1980 L. Hoy & C. A. Carter Tackle Basketball ii. 30 Players should be encouraged, if not bullied, towards learning to dribble with either hand as soon as they are introduced to basketball.

1990 Compl. Angler's Guide Spring 67/4 There is a great tendency to fish too heavy, using gear which will bully the fish to the surface like a sack of potatoes.

2019 Canberra Times (Nexis) 19 Jan. 10 People need to be told, and convinced, of the need for change; not simply bullied into compliance.

†c. transitive. figurative. To have a greater influence, significance, or impact than (something else); to outweigh. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > shipwreck > cause to suffer shipwreck [verb (transitive)] > overbalance or capsize

overtrim1622

overset1719

capsize1788

upset1806

overbalance1829

bully1883

1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 449/1 A light displacement being bullied by large sails.

2. intransitive. To act or behave like a bully (in various senses of the noun); (now usually) to seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable; to engage in bullying.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > blustering or bravado > bluster [verb (intransitive)]

face1440

brace1447

ruffle1484

puff1490

to face (something) out with a card of ten?1499

to face with a card of ten?1499

cock1542

to brave it1549

roist1563

huff1598

swagger1600

ruff1602

tear1602

bouncec1626

to bravade the street1634

brustle1648

hector1661

roister1663

huffle1673

ding1679

fluster1698

bully1733

to bluster like bull-beef1785

swell1795

buck1880

swashbuckle1897

loudmouth1931

the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (intransitive)]

bully1733

browbeat1812

abuse1978

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > threaten [verb (intransitive)] > behave threateningly > as a bully

bullock1715

bully1733

1733 J. Bramston Man of Taste 8 So Britain's Monarch once uncover'd sate, While Bradshaw bully'd in a broad-brimm'd hat.

1783 S. Johnson Let. 19 June (1994) IV. 153 I bullied, and bounced..and compelled the apothecary to make his salve according to the Edinburgh dispensatory.

1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. xix. 327 The officer..mounted a small horse, galloping up and down..bullying, swearing.

1930 E. Waugh Vile Bodies (1938) xii. 190 ‘Well, what about me? Surely I have first claim?’ ‘Darling, don't bully.’

2010 M. E. Muscari & K. M. Brown Quick Ref. to Child & Adolescent Forensics xix. 242 Explain how your child's behavior constitutes bullying and ask why he thinks he bullies and what might help him to stop this behavior.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022).

bullyv.²

Brit.

/ˈbʊli/, U.S.

/ˈbʊli/

Etymology: < bully n.² 2.

Hockey.

transitive. To put (the ball) in play by a bully. Also intransitive, usually with off, to start play in this manner.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > play hockey [verb (transitive)] > bully off

bully1886

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > play hockey [verb (intransitive)] > bully off

bully1909

1886 Rules of Game of Hockey 11 The game shall be started by one player of each side bullying the ball in the centre of the ground.

1909 Westm. Gaz. 30 Mar. 12/2 When two players are bullying-off they stand perfectly square.

1967 J. Potter Foul Play vi. 77 The two centre forwards bullied.

1967 J. Potter Foul Play ix. 110 Julian bent over the ball to bully-off with a stocky, close-cropped French student.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

n.¹?1548

n.²1865

n.³1598

n.⁴1657

n.⁵1753

n.⁶1881

n.⁷1857

adj.¹adv.int.1600

adj.²1884

v.¹1685

v.²1886

单词	bully
释义	bullyn.¹ Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Forms: 1500s–1600s bullye, 1600s– bully, 1800s buly. Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymology: Origin unknown. Perhaps related to (and if so perhaps < ) Middle Dutch, Dutch boel male relative, comrade, playmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, (in early modern Dutch also ‘prostitute’; now rare), itself related to Middle High German bōle and Middle High German buole (German †Buhle ), both in the meanings ‘near relative’ and ‘lover (of either sex)’; further etymology uncertain and disputed. Perhaps compare the form boolie listed as an ‘old word’ meaning ‘beloved’ in E. Phillips New World Eng. Words (1658) and in later dictionaries; if a genuine form, and if related to the present word, this may support the assumption of a relationship with the words in continental West Germanic languages. A variant of the same word may be shown by billy n.¹, which shows a striking similarity in form and meaning, although the difference in the stem vowel is not easy to account for; it is possible that the two words are of distinct origin, and have simply influenced one another through mutual association.Sense development. Although the main senses are relatively close together in date, it appears that those at branch I. reflect the original use (as a term of endearment; compare also bully adj.¹), and that the senses at branch II. developed from them. There seems no strong reason for supposing that the senses at branch II. are of distinct origin from those at branch I. Sense 3a probably shows a specific development from sense 2, perhaps originally with allusion to the close relationship between the members of a group, or perhaps showing a similar pejoration to that shown by bravo n.¹ Folk-etymological association with bull n.¹ may also have played a part in this development (compare bullock v.). Sense 4 was probably originally an ironic or euphemistic development from sense 1. I. As a term of endearment, and related uses. †1. As term of endearment and familiar form of address to a companion. Originally applied to either sex (cf. darling n.¹ 1a, sweetheart n. 1a); later usually restricted to use between men, implying that the person addressed is a close friend or good fellow. Frequently prefixed to the name or a designation of the person addressed. Cf. bully rook n. 1. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun] darlingc888 belamy?c1225 culver?c1225 dearc1230 sweetheartc1290 heartc1300 sweetc1330 honeya1375 dovec1386 jewelc1400 birdc1405 cinnamonc1405 honeycombc1405 lovec1405 wantonc1450 mulling?a1475 daisyc1485 crowdy-mowdy?a1513 honeysop?a1513 powsowdie?a1513 suckler?a1513 foolc1525 buttinga1529 whitinga1529 beautiful1534 turtle-dove1535 soula1538 heartikin1540 bully?1548 turtle1548 lamba1556 nyletc1557 sweet-lovea1560 coz1563 ding-ding1564 pugs1566 golpol1568 sparling1570 lover1573 pug1580 bulkin1582 mopsy1582 chuck1589 bonny1594 chick1594 sweetikin1596 ladybird1597 angel1598 muss1598 pinkany1599 sweetkin1599 duck1600 joy1600 sparrowc1600 sucket1605 nutting1606 chuckaby1607 tickling1607 bagpudding1608 heartling1608 chucking1609 dainty1611 flittermouse1612 honeysuckle1613 fubs1614 bawcocka1616 pretty1616 old thinga1625 bun1627 duckling1630 bulchin1633 bulch?c1640 sweetling1648 friscoa1652 ding-dongs1662 buntinga1668 cocky1680 dearie1681 chucky1683 lovey1684 machree1689 nykin1693 pinkaninny1696 nug1699 hinny1724 puss1753 pet1767 dovey1769 sweetie1778 lovey-dovey1781 lovely1791 ducky1819 toy1822 acushla1825 alanna1825 treat1825 amigo1830 honey child1832 macushla1834 cabbage1840 honey-bunch1874 angel pie1878 m'dear1887 bach1889 honey baby1895 prawn1895 hon1896 so-and-so1897 cariad1899 pumpkin1900 honey-bun1902 pussums1912 snookums1919 treasure1920 wogger1922 amico1929 sugar1930 baby cake1949 angel cake1951 lamb-chop1962 petal1974 bae2006 ?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature ii. sig. Biiij^v The woman hath a wytt, And by her gere can sytt, Though she be sumwhat olde. It is myne owne swete bullye, My muskyne and my mullye. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iv. i. 49 From my hart strings I loue the louely bully. 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. i. 8 What saiest thou, bully, Bottome? View more context for this quotation 1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor ii. iii. 17 Blesse thee my bully doctor. 1678 Wits led by Nose v. 50 Good Bully Sympleton, how like an Ass you look now. 1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison IV. xv. 115 I haue promised to be with the sweet Bully early in the morning of her important day. 1825 Universal Songster I. 420/1 If nobody bids for the poor sweet elf, Knock her down, my dear Buly—and keep her yourself. 1910 P. W. Joyce Eng. as we speak it in Ireland 46/2 Bully, a term of endearment to a fine child. 2. A comrade, companion, or associate; spec. a fellow member of a working crew or gang. Frequently as a familiar form of address.After the 18th cent. chiefly English regional (north-eastern), in the context of the coal industry, and U.S. Now apparently only in historical fiction. ΚΠ 1604 T. Dekker Newes from Graues-end Ep. Ded. sig. ^B2 All the chiefe Mariners..leapt from the sterne..when they saw a most cruel man of warre pursue them.., crying out onely, Put your trust in God my Bullies, & not in vs. 1789 Recovery 11 How now, my bullies? What's the matter? Cease, if you please, this horrid clatter. 1825 J. T. Brockett Gloss. North Country Words (at cited word) Now generally used among keelmen and pitmen to designate their brothers, as bully Jack, bully Bob, etc. 1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover II. x. 287 I give open warning to all, that, if a finger is put upon one of my bullies, unless, as I have said in the way of discipline, it will be answered with a blow. 1863 Tyneside Songs 61 Marrows, cries a bully, aw've an idea..We'll find Sir John Franklin. 1972 B. Jackson In Life 256 Raise 'em up old bullies, let's go. 2003 C. J. Sansom Dissolution (2004) 434 ‘We're through, bullies,’ a voice echoed from above. II. A person who behaves in an aggressive, violent, or threatening manner, and related senses. 3. a. Originally: a man given to or characterized by riotous, thuggish, and threatening behaviour; one who behaves in a blustering, swaggering, and aggressive manner. Now: a person who habitually seeks to harm, coerce, or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable; a person who engages in bullying. Cf. bullying n.In early use often used to describe groups of disorderly and aggressive young men frequenting the streets of London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (cf. Hector n. 2). In the later 18th and early 19th centuries increasingly in wider use, denoting people whose behaviour is viewed as comparable to or reminiscent of the earlier street bullies, and by the later 19th cent. strongly associated with bullying amongst schoolchildren. Subsequent developments are typically extensions of the idea of the school bully, e.g. in other institutions, the workplace, etc., with connotations of victimization and the vulnerability of the victim having fully replaced the connotations of disorderly or riotous behaviour present in earlier use. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > person tyrant1377 routera1500 termagant1508 ruffy?a1513 ruffiana1525 pander1593 thunderbolt1593 bully1604 ruffiano1611 tearer1633 violentoa1661 boy1662 violent1667 hardhead1774 Arab1788 ring-tailed roarer1828 blood-tub1853 tornado1863 stormer1886 hooligan1898 Apache1902 ned1910 rough-up1911 radge1923 goonda1926 pretty-boy1931 tough baby1932 bad-john1935 hoon1938 shit-kicker1954 tough boy1958 oafo1959 ass-kicker1962 droog1962 trog1983 the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > villainy > villain > [noun] > tyrannizing weak bully1604 the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > [noun] > restraint or compulsion by threats > bullying > one who bully1604 crybully1999 the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > violent treatment or force > masterful or bullying > person slasher1559 cutter1569 bangsterc1570 hackster1574 hacker1576 swish-swash1582 burgullian1601 bully1604 bully ruffian1653 huff1674 bully-back1693 bully beau1696 shoulder-hitter1856 shoulder-striker1860 whitecapper1887 Macoute1991 1604 Meeting of Gallants sig. C1 I haue them [sc. tales] at my tongues end my Gallant Bullyes of fiue and twenty, my dainty liberall Landlords I haue them for you. 1689 T. Shadwell Bury-Fair iv. 47 A Lady is no more to be accounted a Beauty, till she has kill'd her Man, than the Bullies think one a fine Gentleman, till he has kill'd his. 1696 T. Dilke Lover's Luck iv. 33 The Bullies set him on his Head, and shake all the Money out of his Pockets. 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical iii. 21 Turn out there you Country Put, says a Bully with a Sword two Yards long. 1780 A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. (1804) II. 296 The most swaggering, swearing bullies in fine weather, were the most pitiful wretches on earth, when death appeared before them. 1811 Speeches H. Grattan I. 143 Mr. Grattan, however, whose spirit is not inclined to bend, or surrender to official petulance, or the ranting and swagger of Government bullies, was not to be deterred. 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. viii. 204 He forgets everything except their old resolve, never to be beaten by that bully Flashman. 1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) Roughskins, a gang of Baltimore bullies. 1879 A. Reed Alice Bridge 193 He protected little boys from bullies with patronly kindness. 1884 Sat. Rev. 12 July 46/1 The military riding-master is occasionally inclined to be something of a bully. 1946 Broons & Oor Wullie: Rare Treat (2001) 68/5 Ye're just a bully, ye big, muckle tattie-heid! 1991 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 10 Nov. 24/3 Francis, a word nerd, is an archetypal target for bullies. 1996 Independent 8 Mar. 4/3 Management bullies are costing British business billions of pounds, an expert warned yesterday. 1996 R. Doyle Woman who walked into Doors xix. 120 He was different too. He'd become a bitter little pill and a bully. 2016 Economist 24 Dec. 94/1 A rough childhood left him with a loathing for bullies. †b. A thug or ruffian hired for purposes of violence or intimidation. Cf. bully boy n. 2. Obsolete. N.E.D. (1888) records this sense as archaic. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > ruffianly conduct > ruffian > [noun] > hired myrmidon1647 bully1703 striker1836 goon1938 the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > villainy > villain > [noun] > hired brave1606 bravo1609 bully1703 the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > [noun] > violent treatment or force > masterful or bullying > person > hired brave1606 bravo1609 myrmidon1647 bully rook1673 bully1703 striker1836 night-rider1856 bully boy1881 strong arm1893 trigger man1930 goon1938 1703 Hist. & Polit. Mercury Oct. 384 Vendosme will have a Name in History to have been the French King's Bully, to Hector Soveraign Princes out of their Kingdoms. 1720 T. Gordon Learned Diss. Old Women 18 She tried all Means whatsoever, sometimes scolding, sometimes beseeching, sometimes tricking, and sometimes hiring Bullies to fight for her. 1730 H. Fielding Tom Thumb (ed. 2) ii. i. 7 Were he..a Bully, a Highway-man, or Prize-fighter, I'd nab him. 1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab iv. 54 These are the hired bravos who defend The tyrant's throne—the bullies of his fear. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 204 A gang of bullies was secretly sent to slit the nose of the offender. 1901 F. W. Rolfe Chron. House Borgia 138 The Duke of Gandia's bully was found on Piazza Giudei, wounded by the steel of an assassin. 4. A man who takes a share or all of the earnings of a prostitute, usually in return for arranging clients, providing protection, etc.; a pimp. Also: †a man who works as a bodyguard or protector of prostitutes in a brothel (obsolete). Cf. bully-back n., bully hack n. Now archaic or historical. ΘΚΠ society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > pimping or procuring > procurer of either sex > pimp putourc1390 panderc1450 mitchera1500 apple-squire?1536 squire of dames or ladies1590 apron-squire1593 bed-broker1594 pimp1600 pippin squire1600 petticoat-monger1605 smockster1608 underputter1608 broker-between1609 squire of the placket1611 squire1612 fleshmongera1616 cock bawd1632 whiskin1632 pimp-whiskin1638 bully1675 foot pimp1690 mutton-broker1694 pimp whisk1707 flash-man1789 panderer1826 bludger1856 whoremaster1864 mack1894 lover1904 jelly bean1905 procureur1910 P.I.1928 sweetback1929 sweet man1942 nookie-bookie1943 papasan1970 society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > living on earnings of prostitute > man who > protector of prostitute or courtesan ruffian1563 hackster1607 ruffiano1611 bully1675 cosh-carrier1893 protector1938 1675 R. Head Proteus Redivivus v. 60 I shall come to describe the subtle Wheedling practices of Bawds, Whores, Pimps, Bully's, &c. 1706 D. Defoe Jure Divino i. 9 Mars the Celestial Bully they adore, And Venus for an Everlasting Whore. 1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem iii. 37 Sull. What! Murther your Husband, to defend your Bully. Mrs. Sull. Bully! for shame..Bullies wear long Swords. 1711 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 249 A bully that will fight for a whore, and run away in an army. 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 107. ⁋12 The bully and the bawd, who fatten on their misery. 1817 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 36 1418 Would he be less the bully of a brothel? 1832 W. M. Thackeray Let. 28 Apr. (1945) I. 196 Found Kinderley tipsy with a common beast of the town, & took him away from her... She threatens to set her bully on me. 1946 R. Graves Poems 1938–45 34 Commissionaire at a picture-house, Or, some say, bully to a whore. 2002 Restoration 26 92 Otway acknowledges that London does have a criminal side: walking in the Mall the protagonists encounter whores and bullies. Phrases Proverb. a bully is always a coward (and variants): expressing that people who habitually seeks to harm, coerce, or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable (see sense 3a) will invariably back down if their victims show the least resistance or opposition. ΚΠ 1699 Country Gentleman's Vade-mecum xvi. 120 I need not tell you, that a Bully's a Coward; the two Names are too Convertible, to want an Explication. 1758 Moral & Crit. Refl. 141 Those who make the most pompous Promises, are the most unwilling to perform them.—A Bully is always a Coward. 1853 T. C. Haliburton Sam Slick's Wise Saws I. v. 105 A brave man is sometimes a desperado. A bully is always a coward. 1950 E. Blyton Mr Pink-Whistle Interferes xii. 150 ‘A couple of bullies!’ said Mr Pink-Whistle. ‘Well, well—bullies are always cowards.’ 1969 D. Wright Deafness (1990) iv. 41 He was no chickenheart (the superstition that bullies are cowards doesn't bear looking at). 2021 @MarkHPearson 17 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 24 Nov. 2021) Bullies are always cowards stand up to them and watch them scuttle. Compounds C1. As a modifier (in sense 3). a. With the sense ‘that is both a bully and a ——’, as in bully poet, bully rake, bully ranter, etc. Now only in bully boy (see bully boy n. 2).In some examples passing into adjectival use. Cf. bully adj.¹ ΚΠ ?1680 Babylon Blazon'd 7 Schoolmen..her Honour justify'd in Words, As bully Jesuits plot to do with Swords. 1683 W. Soames tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Art of Poetry 36 Affected Wits will nat'urally incline To paint their Figures by their own design: Your Bully Poets, Bully Heroes write. 1710 E. Ward Life Don Quixote i. ii. 33 He Combats like that Bully-Rake, That only fights for Fighting's sake. 1710 J. Swift in J. Swift & R. Steele Tatler No. 238 Those Bully Greeks, who, as the Moderns do, Instead of paying Chair-men, run them thro'. a1716 W. Wycherley Posthumous Wks. (1728) I. 5 The bully scribbler..is beat out of his bravadoes only for assuming them. 1735 S.-Carolina Gaz. 30 Aug. 2/2 Two Hotspurs.., To give the World proof they were right bully ranters, Talk'd big to each other of prowess and fighting. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. iii. iii. 159 Bully-swordsmen, ‘Spadassins’ of that party, go swaggering. b. With the sense ‘of, relating to, or characteristic of a bully’, as in bully mentality, bully tactics. ΚΠ 1881 Quincy (Illinois) Daily Herald 5 June 1/1 Mr. A. W. Campbell..so effectively thwarted Conkling's bully tactics in the Chicago convention. 1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. iv. 94 A bully imposition of sheer physical ascendancy. 1895 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 8 Oct. 4/7 He was an Illinois man himself, and was not used to this sort of bully politics. 1940 Daily Tel. 24 Oct. 4/7 Ninety-nine per cent of Germans have the bully mentality. 1992 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 17 July c12 A special children's course on abuse, abduction and ‘bully prevention’. 2006 J. Mendoza Mad Blue Smoke (2007) 48 My sisters have this bully attitude that they can treat me anyway they like. 2021 @adam_blom 4 Nov. in twitter.com (accessed 5 Nov. 2021) Complete bully mentality—only pick on those weaker, smaller or more vulnerable than you. C2. bully court n. (in the United Kingdom) a school meeting at which, under teacher supervision, pupils adjudicate on instances of bullying. ΚΠ 1989 Times 18 Oct. 3/1 Bully courts have been set up at 30 primary schools in England and Wales. Punishments have included bans on school trips and on using playgrounds and tasks such as tidying classrooms. 2001 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 30 Aug. 11 A pilot study by the charity Kidscape found that some schools using bully courts had reduced the level of bullying 90 per cent in only six months. 2010 Star (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 14 A significant and effective deterrent in Britain has been the institution in schools of ‘bully courts’. † bully fop n. Obsolete a person who talks foolishly, pompously, or at great length, esp. to little purpose; an empty chatterer; spec. a person employed in a brothel to help deceive or swindle clients by engaging them in conversations or arguments. ΚΠ 1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Bully-fop, a Maggot-pated, huffing, silly ratling Fellow. a1790 H. T. Potter New Dict. Cant & Flash Langs. (1795) Bully Fop, a silly rattling fellow, kept in a bawdy-house for the purpose of deception. bully van n. British slang a police van.Originally in the usage of black British teenagers and young adults. ΚΠ 2009 @Ms_Kaydine 19 Apr. in twitter.com (accessed 5 Nov. 2021) That's ridiculous that no police are available, but it takes 10 bully vans to arrest one young boy. 2011 J. Cornish Attack Block (transcribed from film) Then Moses got shiffed by the feds and them things attacked the bully van and savaged the bluefoot so we jacked the van. 2020 @7dimii 30 June in twitter.com (accessed 5 Nov. 2021) Police getting more bored by the day, whole bully van parked cos a black yute riding his bike. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022). bullyn.² Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps connected with bully adj.¹ or bully n.¹, or perhaps with bullheaded adj. 1. Eton Football. A mêlée, a scrimmage. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > other forms of football > [noun] > Eton > scrimmage rouge1832 bully1865 1865 W. L. Collins Etoniana xv. 213 Knees put out in the fierce football bully. 1873 M. Collins Squire Silchester II. xvii. 213 A youngster who has held his own in a football bully. 2. Hockey. The procedure of putting the ball in play by two players, one from each side, who strike with their sticks, first the ground then their opponent's stick, three times, after which the ball is in play. Also bully-off. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > [noun] > bully-off or hit-off bully1883 hit off1893 centre bully1897 1883 Boy's Own Paper 13 Oct. 30/1 The game shall be commenced and renewed by a bully in the centre of the ground. 1895 H. F. P. Battersby Hockey 92 From the bully off until his opponents' ‘twenty-five’ is invaded. 1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 516/2 A penalty bully is given for deliberately unfair play by the defending side in their own circle. 1901 Daily News 28 Feb. 7/5 The Oxford centre-forward got away directly after the bully-off. 1963 Times 18 Feb. 3/7 West's centre forward put the ball into the net almost before South had moved from the bully. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021). † bullyn.³ Forms: Also bullie. Etymology: Compare booly n. Obsolete. A cottage, hut. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > hut or hovel > [noun] hulka1000 boothc1200 hull?c1225 lodge1290 hottea1325 holetc1380 tavern1382 scalea1400 schura1400 tugury1412 donjon?a1439 cabinc1440 coshc1490 cabinet1579 bully1598 crib1600 shed1600 hut1637 hovela1640 boorachc1660 barrack1686 bothy1750 corf1770 rancho1819 shanty1820 kraal1832 shelty1834 shackle1835 mia-mia1837 wickiup1838 caboose1839 chantier1849 hangar1852 caban1866 shebang1867 humpy1873 shack1878 hale1885 bach1927 jhuggi1927 favela1961 hokkie1973 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Tugurio, a shepherds cottage, bully or shead. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Tugure,..a shepheards shed, or bullie. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021). bullyn.⁴ Forms: Also 1700s bullet. Etymology: Etymology uncertain: variously referred to English bully , dialect form of bullace n. (compare the 2nd quot.), and to French boulet de canon (lit. cannon-ball) ‘fruit d'un arbre de la Guiane’ (Boiste). The form bullet occurs only late, and the French name may be due to popular etymology.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈbully. attributive in bully bay, bully-berry tree, bully tree, names for certain genera of the order Sapotaceæ, also for a species of Mimusops (all natives of the West Indies and of Guyana). ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular timber trees or shrubs > non-British timber trees > [noun] > of South America or West Indies > balata bully bay1657 balata1858 melkboom1917 1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 14 Loftie trees, as the Palmeto, Royall..Bully, Redwood. 1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 73 The Bully tree..bears a fruit like a Bullis in England. 1693 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 621 The Sope-Berry..Indian Damozen, and the Bully Bay. 1725 H. Sloane Voy. Islands II. 124 When old it had a great many sulci not unlike the Bully tree. 1750 G. Hughes Nat. Hist. Barbados 177 The Bully-Berry tree..a very durable timber tree. 1796 J. G. Stedman Narr. Exped. Surinam II. xxviii. 335 The bullet-tree..the bark is grey and smooth, the timber brown, variegated or powdered with white specks. 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. Bully or Bullet Tree..a species of Mimusops. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021). bullyn.⁵ Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Etymology: ? < bull n.¹, or corruption of French bouilli boiled meat. Pickled or tinned beef. Also as bully beef. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > preserved meat > [noun] > salted meat Martinmas meatc1450 Martinmas beefc1475 powder beef1479 Martinmas flesh1656 Irish horse1748 bully1753 junk1762 salt junk1792 salt horse1836 red horse1864 hunter's beef1879 bullamacow1887 Jack1890 macon1939 1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom I. xxiv. 160 I could get no eatables upon the ruoad, but what they called Bully, which looks like the flesh of Pharaoh's lean kine stewed into rags and tatters. 1788 J. Woodforde Diary 18 Sept. (1927) III. 47 We had for Dinner some Hare Soup, a Couple of Chicken boiled and Ham—Some Beef Bulley, Stewed Pork—Partridges,..&c. 1883 Clark Russell in Longman's Mag. III. 2 I have been shipmates with a man who grew white-haired at thirty on soup and bully. 1884 J. Macdonald in 19th Cent. June 1002 The colonel..was..quietly consuming..his luncheon of ‘bully beef’ and whiskey. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bullyn.⁶ Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymology: Origin unknown.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈbully. A pattern of miner's hammer, varying from ‘ broad bully’ to ‘ narrow bully’. Raymond Mining Gloss. ΚΠ 1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 113 Bully, a pattern of miners' hammer, varying from ‘broad-bully’ to ‘narrow-bully’. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2019). bullyn.⁷ Forms: 1800s– bully, 1900s– bulley. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly formed within English, by derivation. Partly formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymons: bullhead n., bullfinch n.¹, -y suffix⁶; cockabully n. Etymology: In sense 1 < bull- (in bullhead n. and bullfinch n.¹) + -y suffix⁶. In sense 2 probably partly a specific semantic development of sense 1, and partly shortened < cockabully n. (see discussion at that entry). 1. Dialect name for some kind of fish; cf. bullhead n. (Also short for bullfinch n.¹) ΚΠ 1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I. ii. 41 Turning the stones for ‘shannies’ and ‘bullies’, and other..fish left by the tide. 2. = cockabully n. New Zealand. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Salmoniformes (salmon or trout) > [noun] > member of family Galaxiidae mudfish1502 inanga1845 cockabully1874 smig1879 mountain trout1882 kokopu1886 jolly-tail1892 minnow1898 bully1912 1912 B. E. Baughan Brown Bread from Colonial Oven 2 The beloved creek where bullies wait the hook. 1943 G. E. Mannering 80 Years in N.Z. xxi. 158 In the North Island the bully run follows the whitebait. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online September 2021). bullyadj.¹adv.int. Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bully n.¹ Etymology: < bully n.¹ A. adj.¹ As a term of general commendation or approval. 1. Of a person: distinguished by worthy or commendable qualities; admirable, fine. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > worth > [adjective] dearc888 dearworthc888 worthlyeOE oughtsOE worthfulOE aughtOE richa1225 gildenc1225 of pricea1325 worthya1325 of (‥) valourc1330 prow1340 dearworthyc1374 of value1395 pricefula1400 presc1400 singularc1400 goldena1425 well-foundc1475 valiant1481 prized1487 prowousa1500 valuable1567 prizable1569 valorous1592 suit-worth1594 bully1600 estimable1600 treasurable1607 treasurous?1611 treasured1675 pearly1770 at a premium1828 keep-worthy1830 good value1842 1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. B^v Ile shaue it [sc. this beard] off, and stuffe tennis balls with it to please my bully king. 1689 J. Chetham Angler's Vade Mecum (ed. 2) Pref. From such Bully Fishers, this Book expects no other Reception. a1845 T. Hood Lamia v, in W. Jerdan Autobiogr. (1852) I. 282 Here bully mates, These, Lady, are my friends. 1885 C. A. Siringo Texas Cow Boy vi. 66 The cook..thought I was a bully boy. 1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 19/1 ‘Say, Pete, she's a bully girl, once you melt the ice.’ 1963 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman 15 Dec. (Show World section) 21/2 Whether shaking his fist at a political rally or charging up San Juan Hill or as in this book hunting big game in Africa, TR [sc. Theodore Roosevelt] is TR. A bully fellow. 1997 Economist 20 Dec. 25/1 In the eternal contest between bully chaps who enjoy a laugh and the miserable dullards who seek to prevent them, who is winning? 2. U.S. Designating a particularly impressive boat, esp. one that is quicker or better equipped than others of the same type or plying the same waters. Chiefly in bully boat. Cf. first rate adj. 1.After the mid 19th cent. only in somewhat archaic use or (now typically) in occasional examples which are indistinguishable from sense A. 3. ΚΠ 1839 H. Lane Wandering Boy 17 At Poughkeepsie, I got on board of a new sloop, a bully sailor, called the Ann Maria, and left her as soon as she struck the wharf at New-York. 1841 H. J. Mercier & W. Gallop Life in Man-of-War 218 The launch of the United States Ship Dale, took this opportunity of trying her speed with the bully boat of the Constitution. 1847 W. T. Porter Quarter Race Kentucky 126 Our ‘bully’ boat sped away like a bird. 1921 R. R. Terry Shanty Bk. 45 O the bully boat is coming, Down the Mississippi floating. 1999 P. Caputo Voyage (2000) 101 It's a bully boat, we've got plenty of food aboard, and so we'll make the best of it. 3. Originally U.S. Very good, excellent. Now chiefly North American. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective] > very excellent or first-rate gildenc1225 prime1402 rare1483 grand1542 holy1599 pre-excelling1600 paregal1602 classic1604 of (the) first rate1650 solary1651 first rate1674 superb1720 tip-top1722 tip-top-gallant1730 swell1819 topping1822 of the first (also finest, best, etc.) water1826 No. 11829 brag1836 A11837 A No. 11838 number one1839 awful1843 bully1851 first class1852 class1867 champion1880 too1881 tipping1887 alpha plus1898 bonzer1898 grade A1911 gold star1917 world-ranking1921 five-star1936 too much1937 first line1938 vintage1939 supercolossal1947 top1953 alpha1958 fantabulous1959 beauty1963 supercool1965 world-class1967 primo1973 1851 W. Carleton Willy Reilly v, in Weekly News 8 Feb. 143/3 The cook, will give you a bully dinner. 1870 H. Meade Ride New Zealand 331 The roof fell in, there was a ‘bully’ blaze. 1875 N. Amer. Rev. 120 128 ‘That's bully!’ exclaimed Tweed. 1916 A. Pollitzer Let. Dec. in G. O'Keeffe & A. Pollitzer Compl. Corr. (1990) 229 I bet she's having a bully time—is Texas big enough for her to shoot around in. 1930 R. W. Service Coll. Verse 72 It's bully in a high-toned joint to eat and drink your fill, But it's quite another matter when you Pay the bill. 2015 Toronto Life Oct. 94 An hour and a half after listing the house, Banerjee and Kumar received a bully offer of $1.1 million, $151,000 over asking. B. adv. 1. As an intensifier: very, exceedingly. Often as a euphemism for bloody (see bloody adj. 8a). Cf. bally adv. ΚΠ 1853 Yankee-notions July 200/1 Dat's a bully fine fowlin'-piece. 1864 C. George Let. 23 Feb. in J. A. Davis Bully for Band! (2012) iv. 126 They had a bully good time. 1903 ‘C. E. Merriman’ Lett. from Son vi. 75 The car is bully well stocked with things. 1943 Escanaba (Mich.) Daily Press 4 July 3/1 A bully big stock it is too, of almost everything wanted for fall and winter wear. 2003 J. Beckman in B. Fishman Wild East 199 It's a bully good thing you're doing here. 2. Very well, excellently. Now rare. ΚΠ 1863 G. W. Whitman Let. 25 Feb. in Civil War Lett. (1975) 89 I shall have my tent fixed up Bully in a day or two. 1900 H. Garland Eagle's Heart v. 63 He's a dandy ball-player, and skates bully. 1927 S. Lewis Elmer Gantry xviii. 254 You see how bully it came out! 1949 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 5 May 18/1 Mr R. Burke as Fitz-Henry Starch, done bully. C. int. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). Used as an exclamation expressing satisfaction, approval, or agreement. Cf. sense A. 3.Apparently originally U.S. Army slang. ΚΠ 1861 Cincinnati Daily Press 25 Oct. 1/2 ‘Bully’ is the highest term of commendation, while dissent is expressed in the remark, ‘I don't see it’. 1868 H. L. Williams Black-Eyed Beauty vii. 36 Oh! you peppered the big Johny Bull of a moll! Good for you! Bully! 1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xiv. 178 Bully! Corking! You had a lot of pep. 2014 time.com 16 Feb. (accessed 4 Nov. 2021) Turn down a hall and you can hear the brisk strut of a fellow saying, ‘Bully! Absolutely ripping!’ Phrases colloquial. bully for you (also him, her, etc.): used to express approval or admiration for something said or done by the specified person, or enjoyment in the person's success or good fortune. Now often ironic, expressing scorn, jealousy, etc. Cf. good for you at good adj., n., adv., and int. Phrases 6d(a). ΚΠ 1856 W. Whitman Leaves of Grass (new ed.) 220 Bully for you! you proud, friendly, free Manhattanese! 1864 Daily Tel. 18 Nov. The freckles have vanished, and bully for you. 1909 G. Stratton-Porter Girl of Limberlost 453 ‘Well bully for her!’ said Mrs. Comstock. ‘She's a little thoroughbred after all!’ 1986 Crafts May 10/3 Bully for the hobbyists who supply such a booming industry with trade. 2000 K. Charles Cruel Habitations (2001) xv. 283 ‘Oh, bully for you,’ she sneered. ‘Aren't you noble one?’ Compounds bully pulpit n. U.S. Politics a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with the opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any issue.Apparently originally used by United States President Theodore Roosevelt to explain his personal view of the presidency.In later use sometimes understood as showing bully n.¹ 3a. ΘΚΠ society > authority > office > [noun] > office with opportunity for speaking out bully pulpit1909 1909 Outlook (N.Y.) 27 Feb. 430/1 He [sc. President Roosevelt]..swung round in his swivel chair, and said: ‘I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!’ 1977 Newsweek 14 Feb. 23/3 Carter took to what Theodore Roosevelt once called the bully pulpit of the White House. 1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 16 Jan. a12/1 What power the governor had comes from good will and the ‘bully pulpit’ of the office. 2015 N.Y. Mag. 5 Oct. 42/2 He is, after all, the man with the electoral mandate, the bully pulpit, the veto pen, the executive order. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022). bullyadj.² Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Etymology: < bull n.¹ + -y suffix¹. Resembling a bulldog. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > other types of dog > [adjective] > like a bulldog bulldog1855 bully1884 bulldogged1904 1884 M. E. Braddon Phantom Fortune vii. 47 Angelina is bully about the muzzle. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021). bullyv.¹ Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: bully n.¹ Etymology: < bully n.¹ 1. a. transitive. To behave in an overbearing, intimidating, or aggressive manner towards (someone); (now usually) to seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable), esp. persistently or repeatedly. Also in negative constructions (e,g. we will not be bullied): to intimidate or frighten into doing something. Cf. bully n.¹ 3a, bullying n. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (transitive)] awec1225 bashc1375 palla1393 argh1393 formengea1400 matea1400 boasta1522 quail1526 brag1551 appale1563 browbeat1581 adaw1590 overdare1590 dastard1593 strike1598 disdare1612 cowa1616 dare1619 daw1631 bounce1640 dastardize1645 intimidate1646 hector1664 out-hector1672 huff1674 bully1685 harass1788 bullyraga1790 major1829 haze1851 bullock1875 to push (someone) around1900 to put the frighteners in, on1958 psych1963 vibe1979 the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > threaten (evil, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > restrain or force by threatening > bully swagger1608 bounce1640 hector1664 huff1674 huff1680 bully1685 bullyraga1790 bullock1875 advantage1921 1685 R. Gould Laurel 32 He Poxt, and Bully'd all the Land. 1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 69 His poor neighbour is bully'd by his big appearance. 1747 Gentleman's Mag. May 247/1 The French observing that we were not to be bullied by their 17 sail, and knowing, if they run, their convoy must Fall into our hands, dropped all but nine from the line. 1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 119 He saw, that he had no chance of bullying the servant. 1874 C. C. F. Greville Mem. (1875) III. xxi. 8 For the purpose of bullying the House of Lords, who would not be bullied. 1931 E. Bowen Friends & Relations ii. ii. 59 Theodora no longer bullied her parents—they had, perhaps, the slightest possible sense of deprivation. 2009 Independent 29 Sept. 3/3 People used to bully him and I used to stick up for him. b. transitive. To coerce, intimidate, or frighten (a person) into a specified course of action.With a complement expressing the action, esp. a prepositional phrase introduced by into, out of, to, e.g. They were bullied into silence. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (transitive)] > drive to or force by bullying swagger1608 huff1680 bully1696 outbluster1747 1696 P. A. Motteux Loves of Mars & Venus iii. 20 My Courage comes, now Mars is gone. I'll not be Bullied into Patience. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 33 What ail you,..to Bully away our Customers so? 1747 S. Richardson Clarissa II. xxxvi. 248 They are in the right, not to be bullied out of their child. 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. iv. 444 They were bullied by the Plenipotentiaries to support him. 1854 Parl. Deb. 3rd Ser. 132 248 I..have no belief that Russia..would have been bullied into any change of policy. 1956 M. Dickens Angel in Corner (1960) 289 It's no use my trying to bully you into being happy. 1980 L. Hoy & C. A. Carter Tackle Basketball ii. 30 Players should be encouraged, if not bullied, towards learning to dribble with either hand as soon as they are introduced to basketball. 1990 Compl. Angler's Guide Spring 67/4 There is a great tendency to fish too heavy, using gear which will bully the fish to the surface like a sack of potatoes. 2019 Canberra Times (Nexis) 19 Jan. 10 People need to be told, and convinced, of the need for change; not simply bullied into compliance. †c. transitive. figurative. To have a greater influence, significance, or impact than (something else); to outweigh. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > shipwreck > cause to suffer shipwreck [verb (transitive)] > overbalance or capsize overtrim1622 overset1719 capsize1788 upset1806 overbalance1829 bully1883 1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 449/1 A light displacement being bullied by large sails. 2. intransitive. To act or behave like a bully (in various senses of the noun); (now usually) to seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable; to engage in bullying. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > blustering or bravado > bluster [verb (intransitive)] face1440 brace1447 ruffle1484 puff1490 to face (something) out with a card of ten?1499 to face with a card of ten?1499 cock1542 to brave it1549 roist1563 huff1598 swagger1600 ruff1602 tear1602 bouncec1626 to bravade the street1634 brustle1648 hector1661 roister1663 huffle1673 ding1679 fluster1698 bully1733 to bluster like bull-beef1785 swell1795 buck1880 swashbuckle1897 loudmouth1931 the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (intransitive)] bully1733 browbeat1812 abuse1978 the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > threaten [verb (intransitive)] > behave threateningly > as a bully bullock1715 bully1733 1733 J. Bramston Man of Taste 8 So Britain's Monarch once uncover'd sate, While Bradshaw bully'd in a broad-brimm'd hat. 1783 S. Johnson Let. 19 June (1994) IV. 153 I bullied, and bounced..and compelled the apothecary to make his salve according to the Edinburgh dispensatory. 1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. xix. 327 The officer..mounted a small horse, galloping up and down..bullying, swearing. 1930 E. Waugh Vile Bodies (1938) xii. 190 ‘Well, what about me? Surely I have first claim?’ ‘Darling, don't bully.’ 2010 M. E. Muscari & K. M. Brown Quick Ref. to Child & Adolescent Forensics xix. 242 Explain how your child's behavior constitutes bullying and ask why he thinks he bullies and what might help him to stop this behavior. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2022). bullyv.² Brit. /ˈbʊli/, U.S. /ˈbʊli/ Etymology: < bully n.² 2. Hockey. transitive. To put (the ball) in play by a bully. Also intransitive, usually with off, to start play in this manner. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > play hockey [verb (transitive)] > bully off bully1886 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > play hockey [verb (intransitive)] > bully off bully1909 1886 Rules of Game of Hockey 11 The game shall be started by one player of each side bullying the ball in the centre of the ground. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 30 Mar. 12/2 When two players are bullying-off they stand perfectly square. 1967 J. Potter Foul Play vi. 77 The two centre forwards bullied. 1967 J. Potter Foul Play ix. 110 Julian bent over the ball to bully-off with a stocky, close-cropped French student. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.¹?1548n.²1865n.³1598n.⁴1657n.⁵1753n.⁶1881n.⁷1857adj.¹adv.int.1600adj.²1884v.¹1685v.²1886
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bullyadj.1adv.int.

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