Any Australians around?

jackomdj

DD is reading a School book aimed at 9 to early teens by an Australian author. (DD is 8)

In it it has a sentence with the word " bull" in it. It would make perfect sense if it said "bull s**t" but wondered if it has a slightly different meaning, or if it is an acceptable phrase over there.

I will be flagging it with her teacher as she asked what it meant, I said rubbish but I can just imagine her telling someone "that's bull" and getting into bother for it!

meritaten

I am not sure that's a completely Aussie phrase - it seems to be quite common here in South Wales. I can remember it even as a child many many moons ago.
er - I always took it be BS without the 'S'!

jackomdj

I use it as bs (not around the children though) but I assume (hence the question) that it is not as bad over there. It is in a school book aimed at 9 to early teens! As my oh just said you can imagine what the teacher wOuld say if she told him something was bull!

meritaten

well she could use my nans phrase - its bullshine! (nan never swore and had some pretty inventive substitutes).

claire16c

I've heard people here say that before I don't think it's just an Australian phrase.

365days

The Aussies are far more colourful with their language.

I remember a Aussie teacher colleague telling a child her work was crap and genuinely couldn't see what was wrong with that.

Drink/Drive advert in Oz saying if you do 'You're a bloody idiot'

Either explain that Australia has a far more relaxed culture to swearing and isn't fantastic to lean about different cultures through literature.

Or tell a white lie and say it's short for ballderdash

jackomdj

I agree that it is used here, but would not expect it in a childrens book. It said "that bull I told you"

Hopefully she won't say anything more about it, but you know what they are like for picking things up that you don't want them to. She watched tge water horse years ago. It is PG and other than the war theme the only thing in it was the word Bloody, which she would randomly come out with to describe things (in the film it says that bloody war) and she would say that bloody whatever!

Thanks for the replies, I guess even if they are more relaxed it is the fact it is in a school book that shocked me.

365days

I'm sure she hears far, far worse on the playground.

Ames

I'd heard 'bull' long before I'd heard BS, so obviously as a child, I can't remember if it were in any books though.

Isn't there a Morrisons advert using it at the mo? Where Ant/dec says 'bull', then Dec/ant says 'it's true', and then Ant/dec says 'no, bull' meaning a real one behind Dec/ant?

Janepig

I've heard bull, rather than bull**** being used quite often. I wouldn't chastise one of my children if I heard them say "oh that's bull" or whatever. At least I don't think I would :D.

Jx

Gloomendoom

Bull

Verb
bull (third-person singular simple present bulls, present participle bulling, simple past and past participle bulled)
(intransitive) To force oneself (in a particular direction).
He bulled his way in.
(intransitive) To lie, to tell untruths.
(intransitive) To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do.
(UK, military) To polish boots to a high shine.
(finance, transitive) To endeavour to raise the market price of.
to bull railroad bonds
(finance, transitive) To endeavour to raise prices in.
to bull the market

Source