Re: "shoot the bull"

Posted by Lewis on December 08, 2005

In Reply to: Re: Shoot the bull posted by RRC on December 06, 2005

: : : where did "shoot the bull" come from

: : : steve

: : early dart boards were the ends of barrels and some bright spark decided to paint concentric rings to make it more challenging. the original "bulls-eye" was black and white, not the red-green used today. a bull's eye is a roundel of black with white outside - hence the comparison.

: : shooting at "the bull" is short for aiming for "the bull's-eye"

: : hope that helps.

: : L

: "Shoot the bull" is small talk, chatting - usually used for talk amongst men - also "shoot the shit." We're going to go down to the bar, toss back some cold ones and shoot the bull until the game starts. RRC

the "shooting" use is metaphorical - meaning to spend time idly, as if playing darts.
"talk bull" relates to BS - shouldn't confuse the two metaphors.

L