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bull in a china shop

bull in a chi·na shop
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [boo l in ey chahy-nuh shop]
    • /bʊl ɪn eɪ ˈtʃaɪ nə ʃɒp/
    • /bʊl ɪn ə ˈtʃaɪ.nə ʃɒp/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [boo l in ey chahy-nuh shop]
    • /bʊl ɪn eɪ ˈtʃaɪ nə ʃɒp/

Definitions of bull in a china shop words

  • phrase bull in a china shop If you say that someone rushes into a situation like a bull in a china shop, you are critical of them because they do not stop to think, and are insensitive to other people's feelings. 3
  • noun bull in a china shop the male of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction. 1
  • noun bull in a china shop the male of certain other animals, as the elephant and moose. 1
  • noun bull in a china shop a large, solidly built person. 1
  • noun bull in a china shop a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will increase (opposed to bear). 1
  • noun bull in a china shop (initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Taurus. 1
See all 17 definitions of bull in a china shop

Information block about the term

Origin of bull in a china shop

First appearance:

before 1150
One of the 7% oldest English words
1150-1200; Middle English bule, Old English bula; akin to Old Norse boli; see bullock

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Bull in a china shop

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Bull in a china shop

bull in a china shop popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

bull in a china shop usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for bull in a china shop

noun bull in a china shop

  • clod — A clod of earth is a large lump of earth.
  • lummox — a clumsy, stupid person.
  • bungler — A bungler is a person who often fails to do things properly because they make mistakes or are clumsy.
  • schlep — to carry; lug: to schlep an umbrella on a sunny day.
  • klutz — a clumsy, awkward person.
All 16 Synonyms of bull in a china shop

See also

Matching words

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