The Pope's bull
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An edict or mandate issued by the Pope, so called from the heavy leaden seal (Lat. build) appended to the document. See GOLDEN BULL.
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 “The Pope's bull” mean?
An edict or mandate issued by the Pope, so called from the heavy leaden seal (Lat. build) appended to the document. See GOLDEN BULL.
Is “The Pope's bull” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.