bow vs bull

bow

verb
  • To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline. 

  • To become bent or curved. 

  • To defer (to something). 

  • To give a direction, indication, or command to by bowing. 

  • To play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow. 

  • To make something bend or curve. 

  • To debut. 

  • To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference. 

noun
  • Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging hair, fur, etc., used by hatters. 

  • The part of a key that is not inserted into the lock and that is used to turn the key. 

  • The U-shaped piece which goes around the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke. 

  • A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow). 

  • A crude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea. 

  • Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree. 

  • A type of knot with two loops, used to tie together two cords such as shoelaces or apron strings, and frequently used as decoration, such as in gift-wrapping. 

  • Anything bent or curved, such as a rainbow. 

  • The front of a boat or ship. 

  • A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows. 

  • Either of the arms of a pair of spectacles, running from the side of the lens to behind the wearer's ear. 

  • The rower that sits in the seat closest to the bow of the boat. 

  • A stringed instrument (chordophone), consisting of a stick with a single taut cord stretched between the ends, most often played by plucking. 

  • A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments. 

  • A gesture, usually showing respect, made by inclining the head or bending forward at the waist; a reverence 

bull

verb
  • To force oneself (in a particular direction). 

  • To lie, to tell untruths. 

  • To polish boots to a high shine. 

  • To be in heat; to be ready for mating with a bull. 

  • To mate with (a cow or heifer). 

  • To endeavour to raise prices in. 

  • To mock; to cheat. 

  • To endeavour to raise the market price of. 

adj
  • Large and strong, like a bull. 

  • Adult male. 

  • Stupid. 

  • Of a market in which prices are rising (compare bear). 

noun
  • A policeman. 

  • The central portion of a target, inside the inner and magpie. 

  • Any adult male bovine. 

  • Beef. 

  • Specifically, one that is uncastrated. 

  • An adult male of certain large mammals, such as whales, elephants, camels and seals. 

  • A man who has sex with another man's wife or girlfriend with the consent of both. 

  • An investor who buys (commodities or securities) in anticipation of a rise in prices. 

  • A male of domesticated cattle or oxen of any age. 

  • An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen. 

  • A lie. 

  • Nonsense. 

  • An elderly lesbian. 

  • A papal bull, an official document or edict from the Pope. 

  • A seal affixed to a document, especially a document from the Pope. 

  • A large, strong man. 

  • Specifically, a policeman employed in a railroad yard. 

  • A man or boy (derived from the Philadelphia English pronunciation of “boy”, which is practically a homophone of “bull”) 

How often have the words bow and bull occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )