a brazen bull
Preserved but no longer current.
An instrument of torture. See PHALARIS. He may bear a bull that hath borne a calf (Erasmus: Proverbs) — "He that accustometh hym-selfe to lytle thynges, by lytle and lytle shal be able to go a waye with greater thynges'* (Ta verner).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a brazen bull” mean?
An instrument of torture. See PHALARIS. He may bear a bull that hath borne a calf (Erasmus: Proverbs) — "He that accustometh hym-selfe to lytle thynges, by lytle and lytle shal be able to go a waye with greater thynges'* (Ta verner).
Is “a brazen bull” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.