|
More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
|
bulldog
|
|
Stocky breed of short-coated dog, with broadly spread forelegs, a severely squashed nose and a huge head covered in folds of loose skin. It was bred centuries ago to bait bulls, which it did by clenching its jaws on the bull's muzzle and hanging on. It lost its original purpose when animal-baiting was made illegal in 1835, but enthusiasts bred out its more ferocious characteristics to preserve it as a domestic animal. As such it has retained considerable popularity, its phlegmatic appearance and tenacious qualities causing it to be thought of as peculiarly British.
|
|
|
|
The concept of the plucky 'British bulldog breed' features in the work of Charles *Kingsley in the mid-19C and was increasingly applied to British men rather than their dogs (as, eventually, with Sapper's *Bull-dog Drummond). The accidental echo of *John Bull no doubt contributed to this.
|
|
|
|