bullet-headed 
bullet-headed (bul'et-hed'ed), a. 1. Round- 
headed. 2. Stupid; doltish. 
bullet-hook (bul'et-huk), n. A tool for ex- 
tracting bullets. 
bulletin (bul'e-tin), . [P., < It. bullettino, bol- 
lettino, dim. of bulletin, bolletta, dim. of bulla, 
bolla, a bull, edict : see bull* and the ult. identi- 
cal bill 3 .] 1. An authenticated official report 
concerning some public event, such as military 
operations, the health of a sovereign or other 
distinguished personage, etc., issued for the in- 
formation of the public. 
" False as a bulletin " became a proverb in Napoleon's 
time. Carlyle. 
2. Any notice or public announcement, espe- 
cially of news recently received. 3. A name 
given to various periodical publications record- 
ing the proceedings of learned societies. 
bulletin (bul'e-tin), v. t. [< bulletin, .] To 
make known by a bulletin publicly posted. 
It would excite no interest to bulletin the last siege of 
Jerusalem in a village where the event was unknown, if 
the date was appended. 
C. D. Warner, Backlog Studies, p. 142. 
bulletin-board (bul'e-tin-bord), . A board 
publicly exposed, on which to placard recent 
news, notices, etc. 
bullet-ladle (bul'et-la"dl), n. A hemispheri- 
cal ladle for melting lead to run bullets. 
bullet-machine (bul'et-ma-shen"), . A ma- 
chine for forming bullets. The metal, in the form 
of a coil, is cut into short lengths as it unwinds, and these 
blanks are then pressed into shape between dies. 
bullet-mold (bul'et-mold), n. A mold for cast- 
ing bullets. 
bullet-probe (bul'et-prob), . A probe used in 
exploring for bullets in wounds. 
bullet-proof (bul'et-prof), a. Capable of re- 
sisting the impact of a bullet. 
bulletrie (bul'e-tri), n. See bully-tree. 
bullet-screw (bul'et-skro), n. A screw at the 
end of a ramrod, which can be forced into a 
bullet in order to draw it from a gun-barrel. 
bullet-shell (bul'et-shel), n. An explosive bul- 
let for small arms. 
bullet-tree, See bully-tree. 
bullet-wood (bul'et-wud), n. A very strong, 
close-grained, dark-brown wood of India, from 
a species of Mimusops. See bully-tree. 
bull-facet (bul'fas), n. A threatening face or 
appearance. 
Come hither to fright maids with thy bull-faces! 
To threaten gentlewomen ! 
Fletcher, Wildgoose Chase, iv. 2. 
bull-faced (bul'fast), a. Having a large coarse 
face: as, "bull-faced Jonas," Dry den, Abs. and 
Achit., i. 581. 
bull-feast (bul'fest), . Same as bull-fight. 
bull-fight (bul'flt), n. A combat between men 
and a bull or bulls: a popular amusement 
among the Spaniards and Portuguese. A horse- 
man, called a toreador or picador, attacks a bull in a 
closed arena, irritating him, but avoiding his attack. 
After the bull lias been tormented a long time the horse- 
man leaves him, and persons on foot, called chulos and 
banderUleros, attack him and plunge darts into him. 
Finally the sport is ended with the death of the bull by 
the sword of a matador. 
bull-fighter (btl'fi'Mr), . One who fights 
bulls ; a human combatant in a bull-fight. 
bullfinch 1 (bul'finch), n. [Appar. < bulfi as used 
in cornp. (as if in allusion to the thick rounded 
bill) + finch. Cf. equiv. bwekfineh.] A very 
common oscine passerine bird of Europe, Pyr- 
716 
rhula vulgaris ; a kind of finch of the family 
Fi-ingillidcc, with a very short, stout, turgid bill, 
which, like the crown, is black, and a body blu- 
ish above, and, in the male, tile-red below: a 
favorite cage-bird, easily taught to sing a va- 
riety of notes. The name is extended to other species 
of the same genus, and also to those of some related gen- 
era. Bullfinch tanager, one of the lindos or thick-billed 
tanagers of the genus Euphonin, and others of like charac- 
ter. Pine bullfinch, the pine grosbeak, Pinicola enu- 
cleator. See grosbeak. 
bullfinch 2 (bul'finch), n. [A corruption of 
bull-fence, a fence for confining bulls, < bull 1 + 
fence.] In England, a strong fence, or a hedge 
allowed to grow high enough to impede hunt- 
ers, and much used as a test of skill in steeple- 
chasing. 
bullfish (bul'fish), n. A name of the great seal, 
Phoca barbata, or Erignathus barbatus. 
bullfist (bul'fist), n. [Also written bullfeist, 
bullfice; < bulfl + fist*, dial, feist, foist, a puff- 
ball, lit. a breaking of wind : see fist*, foisfl. 
The German name bofist (> Bovista) and the 
generic name Lycoperdon are of similar signi- 
fication.] A puffball. See Lycoperdon. 
bullfly (bul'fli), n. An insect, the gadfly, so 
named from its tormenting cattle. See gadfly. 
Also called bullbee, 
bullfrog (bul'frog), n. The Sana catesbiana, 
a North American species of frog, from 8 to 12 
inches long, including the legs, of a dusky brown 
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula mil s aris) 
Bullfrog (Rafta catcsbiatta). 
or olive color marked with darker. These frogs live 
chiefly in stagnant water, and utter a loud croaking sound 
resembling the bellowing of a bull, whence the name. 
bull-fronted (burfrun'ted), a. Having a front 
or forehead like a bull. 
A sturdy man he looked to fell an ox, 
Bull-fronted, ruddy. Hood. 
bull-fronts (bul'frunts), n. pi. [E. dial., also 
called bull-faces.] Tufts of coarse grass, Aira 
ctespitosa. Brockett. 
bullhead (bul'hed), n. [< ME. bulhede, name 
of a fish (L. capito), < bul, bull 1 , + hede, head.] 
1. The popular name of certain fishes, (a) In 
England : (1) Uranidea gobio, a ftsh about 4 inches long, 
with head very large and broader than the body. Often 
also called miller's-thumb. Also locally applied in the 
United States to allied species of the genus Uranidea. 
(2) Agonus cataphractus, called the armed bullhead. (6) In 
the United States, a cottoid fish, as Cottus grognlandicu.il 
or C. octodecimspinosug, better known as sculpin. [Local.] 
(c) In America, a species of Amiurus, also called horned 
pout. See catfish, (d) A gobioid flsh, Eleotris r/obioides, 
with a broad head, large scales in 36-40 rows, and a black- 
ish-brown color. It is common in the rivers and lakes of 
New Zealand. () A flsh of the family Batrachidce, other- 
wise called blenny bullhead. Sivainson, 1839. 
2. A tadpole. [Prov. Eng.] 3. A small 
water-insect of a black color. 4. The golden 
plover, Charadriusfulvus. 5. A stupid fellow; 
a lubber. Johnson. 
bull-head (bul'hed), a. Same as bull-headed. 
Bull-head ax. See axi. Bull-head whiting, a 
sciamoid fish, Mcnticirrus albumus ; the southern king- 
fish. [Florida.] 
bull-headed (buThed-'ed), a. 1 . Having a head 
like that of a bull. Hence 2. Obstinate; 
blunderingly aggressive ; stupid. 
bullhoof (bul'hof), re. A name given in Ja- 
maica to a species of passion-flower, Passiflora 
Muntcuja, with handsome scarlet flowers, from 
the shape of the leaves. It is also applied, as 
in Honduras, to some species of bully-tree. 
bullhuss (bul'hus), n. [< bull 1 + dial, huss, 
the dogfish.] A local English name of the 
dogfish, Scyllium catulus. 
bullid (bul'id), n. A gastropod of the family 
Kullida;. 
Bullidae (bul'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Sulla + 
-idie.] A family of tectibranchiate gastropods, 
typified by the genus Bulla, which has been 
adopted with widely differing boundaries, (n) 
By the old authors it was used for most of the Tectibran- 
chiata. {b) By later authors it has been variouslyrestricted, 
and is now mostly limited to Tectibranchiata with an in- 
volute ovate shell and a lingual ribbon with numerous 
rows of teeth, each row having a central tooth and nmner- 
bullion 
ous nearly uniform lateral teeth. The species are marine, 
frequenting sandy or muddy bottoms near the shore, 
sometimes going into brackish water. The shell is often 
spotted. Also written Bulladcu. See cut under Bidla. 
bulliform (bul'i-form), a. [< L. bulla, a bubble, 
etc., + forma, shape.] 1. Resembling a blister. 
The buttiform or hygroscopic cells of grasses and sedges. 
Ainer. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., XXXII. 381. 
2. Having the form characteristic of the genus 
Bulla, or of gastropods of the family Bullidce. 
bullimongt, bullimungt, . [Also bullimony, 
Mlimony ; origin uncertain.] A mixture of 
oats, peas, and vetches. Tusser ; Grose. 
bullimony (bul'i-mo-ni), n. Same as bullimowg. 
bulling (bul'ing), n'. [Appar. verbal n. of bull 1 , 
i:, 1, throw up, toss.] A method of detaching 
loosened masses of rock from their bed by ex- 
ploding gunpowder which has been poured into 
the fissures. 
bulling-shovel (bul'ing-shov"l), . In metal., 
a peculiar form of shovel used in ore-dressing. 
It is of triangular form, with a sharp point. 
See van and vanning-shovel, [Eng.] 
bullion 1 (bul'yon), . [Early mod. E. also boll- 
yon, < late ME. bolion, earlier prob. *bulion, 
"bullion (AP. bnllione, boillon, a mint, ML. AL. 
bullio(n-), bulliona, an ingot of gold or silver), 
for *bilion, "billion, < AF. billon, OF. billon, 
mod. P. billon (= Pr. billo = Sp. vellon = Pg. 
bilhSo = It. biglione; ML. billio(n-), prop. *bil- 
lo(n-) : all prob. < OF.), a cast lump or ingot of 
metal, a place where metal is cast or coined, a 
mint, also base or short-weight coin taken to 
be remelted, hence esp. base coin or the alloy, 
copper and silver, or copper alone, of which 
they were made ; lit. a block, stick, or log (cf. 
billon, a twig or shoot of a full year's growth 
Cotgrave), aug. (or dim.) of bille, a log, stick: 
see billet*, billot. The form "billon or "billion 
is not found in ME. (billon, as used in E., is from 
mod. P. billon: see bilton); the altered form 
"bullion is reflected in the AF. bnllione, ML. 
AL. bulliona, bullio(n-). The same change of 
vowel occurs reversely in ML. AL. billa (ME. 
bille, E. bill?) for bulla (ME. tulle, E. bull*), a 
writing, a brief, etc.; but the alteration in 
question was prob. due to association with OP. 
bouillon, ML. bullio(n-), a boiling, OF. bouillir, 
boulir, L. bullire, boil, bubble, with ref. to the 
molten metal. See bullion*.] 1 . Gold or silver 
in the mass ; gold or silver smelted and not per- 
fectly refined, or refined but in bars, ingots, or 
any uncoined form, as plate. 
And that they may be in our sayde landis and lordshippys 
for too bye and gader, lade and freith and cary away or 
doo to bee caryed away and conueied into the sayde kyng- 
dom of England ... all suche wares, goodis and mar- 
chaundises . . . excep bolion, harnes, bowes, arpwes, ar- 
tillary, and other thingis which is forboden, habilementis 
of werre, and none but such liameys and wepens as they 
shall bringe wyth them. 
Arnold's Chronicle, 1602 (ed. 1811), p. 229. 
Their trade being, by the same Alchemy that the Pope 
uses, to extract heaps of gold and silver out of the drossie 
Bullion of the Peoples sinnes. 
Milton, Reformation in Eng., ii. 
A paper currency is employed, when there is no bullion 
in the vaults. Einerson, Misc., p. 32. 
2. Uncurrent coin; coin received only at its 
metallic value. 
And those [words] which Eld's strict doom did disallow, 
And damn for bullion, go for current now. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas, Babylon. 
Foreign coin hath no value here for its stamp, and our 
coin is bullion in foreign dominions. 
Locke, Further Considerations, etc. 
3f. Figuratively, gold, as a sordid thing ; mere 
wealth; mammon. 
Farewell, my bullion gods, whose sov'reign looks 
So often catch'd me with their golden hooks ; 
Go, seek another slave ; ye all must go ; 
I cannot serve my God and bullion too. 
Quarles, Emblems, ii. 13. 
4f. A mint or assay-office. Blount Base bul- 
lion, pig-lead containing silver, and usually also gold, 
which are separated from the baser metal by refining. 
[Cordilleran mining region.] 
bullion 2 (bul'yon), n. [Early mod. E. bullyon 
(Skelton) (not found in ME.), < OF. bouillon!, a 
bubble, a stud, a large-headed nail, a puff in a 
garment (mod. F. bouillon, a bubble, a puff in 
a garment, a bull's-eye in glass-making), prop, 
a variant of boullon, boulon, a large-headed nail, 
a stud, bolt, pin, arrow, mod. F. boulon, a bolt, 
pin (= Sp. bolion, a brass-headed nail, a kind 
of ear-ring, a shoot of a plant), < ML. bullio(n-), 
prop. *bullo(n-), a bubble, aug. of L. bulla, a 
bubble, a stud, a boss, > OP. boule, a bubble, a 
ball, mod. F. boule (> E. bowl*, a round ball); 
bouillon 1 being thus a different word from, 
though confused with, bouillon-, boillon, boelhm, 
bolion, a boiling, a measure of salt, broth, soup, 
