bell cow
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bell cow
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Without their bell cow, Minnesota saw three running backs and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis get between 10 and 15 carries apiece.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
Visitors to “the new aristocratic suburb” dubbed Palm Place would have found one home, an architectural bell cow, standing in an empty field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2022
Though Davis’ 10 rushing touchdowns leads the Pac-12, UW noticeably lacks a bell cow back.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2022
The offensive line was better, and coach Ryan Day may have found a bell cow after splitting carries among Henderson and a couple others in the first two games.
From Fox News ● Sep. 18, 2021
A bell cow waded into the water, followed by several other members of the herd, and the train pensively proceeded in single file diagonally across the shallow stream to another feeding-ground below.
From Historic Waterways?Six Hundred Miles of Canoeing Down the Rock, Fox, and Wisconsin Rivers by Thwaites, Reuben Gold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
