Meaning
What does Strong Like Bull mean?
Strong Like Bull refers to a popular idiomatic phrase, expressing the physical fitness of an individual, similar to the term Stronk.
It is encountered in everyday conversations, as well as products of popular culture.
Origin
What's the origin of Strong Like Bull?
While the exact origin of the phrase is debated, it is attributed by most to Uncle Tonoose of The Danny Thomas Show (portrayed by Hans Conried).
Despite this, the popularity of “Strong like bull” didn’t quite take off until it was featured in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends animated series, where one of the main antagonists, Boris Badenov used the line regularly.
“Strong like bull” is often said in a Russian accent, mainly due to the contribution of the character Boris Badenov, which eventually led to the close association of the Stronk typo meme to Easter European culture.
Spread & Usage
How did Strong Like Bull spread?
“Strong like bull” became a memorable pop culture reference, appearing in countless movies, TV series and even song lyrics, ranging from Quantum Leap to There’s Something About Mary to even the 2012 hit song of Lenka, Everything at Once.
“Strong like bull” is widely used today as a cliché simile, mostly for referring to the healthy and fit state of somebody.
External resources
- Waywordradio.org – Strong Like Bull
- Reddit.com – r/movies
- English-grammar-lessons.com – Strong Like Bull