bull up
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To polish boots or military equipment until they are perfectly shiny.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To polish boots, buttons, or military equipment to a very high shine, especially for inspection.
"The recruits spent hours bulling up their boots before the morning parade."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
British military slang. Refers to the painstaking process of polishing boots and other equipment to a mirror finish, especially for inspections. Rarely used outside military contexts. 'Bulling' (the gerund) is also used as a noun.
Commonly used with
boots buttons kit uniform inspection parade
Forms
Base
bull up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bulls up
he/she/it
Past simple
bulled up
yesterday
Past participle
bulled up
have + pp
-ing form
bulling up
continuous
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