Bull and Gate
Preserved but no longer current.
Bull and Mouth. Public- house signs. A corruption of Boulogne Gate or Mouth, adopted out of compliment to Henry VIII, who took Boulogne in 1544. The public-house sign consisting of a plain (or coloured) bull is usually with reference to the cognizance of the house of Clare. The sign of the famous Bull and Mouth Inn in Alders- gate St.
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 “Bull and Gate” mean?
Bull and Mouth. Public- house signs. A corruption of Boulogne Gate or Mouth, adopted out of compliment to Henry VIII, who took Boulogne in 1544. The public-house sign consisting of a plain (or coloured) bull is usually with reference to the cognizance of the house of Clare. The sign of the famous Bull and Mouth Inn in Alders- gate St.
Is “Bull and Gate” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.