bull-beef
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A term of contempt; "as ugly as BULL-BEEF," "go to the billy-fencer, and sell yourself for BULL-BEEF." Sometimes used to indicate full size of anything. "There was he, as big as BULL-BEEF."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bull-beef” mean?
A term of contempt; "as ugly as BULL-BEEF," "go to the billy-fencer, and sell yourself for BULL-BEEF." Sometimes used to indicate full size of anything. "There was he, as big as BULL-BEEF."
Is “bull-beef” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.