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Irish bull

American  

noun

  1. a paradoxical statement that appears at first to make sense. Example: He's the kind of guy who looks you right in the eye as he stabs you in the back.

Irish bull British  

noun

  1. a ludicrously illogical statement See also bull 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Irish bull

First recorded in 1795–1805

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.

Last week a Catholic philosopher was hooked by an Irish bull.

From Time Magazine Archive

To employ an Irish bull, the chief event of last week was one that didn't happen.

From Time Magazine Archive

No; and that isn't an Irish bull, either.

From The Rules of the Game by White, Stewart Edward

Griffin on Irish bull, 441. —— on Welsh money, 346. —— on Yote or Yeot, 220.

From Notes and Queries, Index of Volume 2, May-December, 1850 A Medium of Inter-Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, Etc. by Various

We do not perpetrate an Irish bull when we say that the distance to a place is often greater than the distance in returning.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various

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.