To start or restart play in field hockey with a bully (a ritualized contest between two opposing players).
To start the game in field hockey with a special face-off between two players.
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
To start or restart a field hockey game using the traditional bully procedure, in which two opposing players tap their sticks and the ground alternately before competing for the ball.
"After the goal, play was restarted by bullying off at the centre of the pitch."
This is a technical sporting term specific to field hockey. The 'bully' was the traditional method of restarting play, now largely replaced in modern field hockey by a free hit. Rarely heard outside of field hockey contexts and largely dated in current use.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "bully off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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