bulldog clip

bull·dog clip
UK/ˈbʊldɒɡ ˈklɪp/US/ˈbʊlˌdɔɡ ˈklɪp/

noun

A binder clip with rigid handles.

Meanings

nounbulldog clip (plural bulldog clips)

plural bulldog clips

  1. A binder clip with rigid handles.

    A twist of ribbon, a wine cork, a bunch of diplomats' calling cards held together with a bulldog clip.

    2001, John le Carré [pseudonym; David John Moore Cornwell], The Constant Gardener, London: Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Scribner, 2005, →ISBN, page 57
    3 more examples

    We need to remind children that magnetic compasses will be deflected from the north reading if near metal – for example a car, a metal bulldog clip on a clipboard, or a metal bar under a table.

    1996, Marcia Foley, Jan Janikoun, The Really Practical Guide to Primary Geography (Really Practical Guides), 2nd edition, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Stanley Thornes, published 2002, →ISBN, page 83

    If weight carriers are not available use a strong bulldog clip with a pot attached to it by thread going through the hole. Clip this to the sheet of paper and gradually add weights to the pot. The bulldog clip sometimes slips off the paper, so wrap the end of the paper around a pencil and the bulldog clip will grip this.

    2000, “The Properties of Materials and Their Everyday Uses”, in Colin Osborne, Maria Pack, editors, compiled by Jan Rees, That’s Chemistry!: A Resource for Primary School Teachers about Materials and Their Properties, London: Royal Society of Chemistry, →ISBN, part A (Grouping and Classifying Materials), page 15

    Sketching galaxies and nebulae at the eyepiece, in low light levels, is no easy matter. A small torch can be used but that leaves one less hand free, so it's quite common to use a stiff plywood or plastic board to fasten the paper and light to – possibly with bulldog clips or clothes pegs.

    2001, Grant Privett, Paul Parsons, “Deep-sky Observing”, in The Deep-sky Observer’s Year: A Guide to Observing Deep-sky Objects throughout the Year (Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series), London; Berlin: Springer Verlag, →ISBN, →ISSN, part I (Preparing for Deep-sky Observing), page 35
  2. medicineA surgical instrument with serrated jaws and a spring-loaded handle used to grip blood vessels or similar organs.

    The ligated vessel is pulled through the cannula and a bulldog clip is placed below the ligature.

    1938, Corneille Heymans, “Blood Vessel Anastomosis with Payr Cannulae and without Anticoagulant, in Acute Experiments”, in Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, volume 38, New York, N.Y.: Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 416
    3 more examples

    When filled, a bulldog clip-forceps on the india-rubber tube, close to the canula, will prevent the escape of the water on transferring the syringe to position.

    1886, Harrison Cripps, “TRANSFUSION”, in Christopher Heath, editor, Dictionary of Practical Surgery […], volumes II (Macroglossia–Zygoma), London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 660, column 1

    Objections to the bulldog clip are that, in students' hands at least, it is more likely to do damage and lead to clotting than is the thread-loop, and that, on account of its small size and liability to be left by the student in the wound, it is apt to be lost, e.g. thrown away with the carcase when the tables are cleared after the class-meeting. A recurrent item of expense in working the class is avoided by dispensing with the bulldog clip.

    1919, C[harles] S[cott] Sherrington, “Appendix”, in Mammalian Physiology: A Course of Practical Exercises, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press; Humphrey Milford, →OCLC, page 142

    A bulldog clip can be placed on the artery to produce temporary exclusion when an assessment of the anatomy and ischemic line is needed.

    2017, Mark Halls, David Martinez-Cecilia, Salvatore Barbaro, Mohammad Abu Hilal, “Laparoscopic Left Lateral Sectionectomy”, in Miguel A. Cuesta, editor, Minimally Invasive Surgery for Upper Abdominal Cancer, Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature, →DOI, →ISBN, part V (Liver Tumors), page 310, column 1

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna clip with a spring that closes the metal jaws

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Possibly a reference to the tenacity of a bulldog’s bite. Regarding sense 1 (“binder clip with rigid handles”), Bulldog was originally a trademark registered to Brandsley Limited in the United Kingdom in 1944.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 長尾夾 /长尾夹, 鬥牛犬夾 /斗牛犬夹
  • 長尾夾 /长尾夹rigid handled binder clip
  • 鬥牛犬夾 /斗牛犬夹surgical instrument
Finnish paperipuristin, suonipuristin
  • paperipuristinrigid handled binder clip
  • suonipuristinsurgical instrument
French pince à dessin
  • pince à dessinrigid handled binder clip
German Briefklemmer
  • Briefklemmerrigid handled binder clip
Hebrew אטב נייר
  • אטב ניירrigid handled binder clip
Portuguese pinças de bulldog
  • pinças de bulldogsurgical instrument
Turkish kağıt kıskacı, evrak kıskacı
  • kağıt kıskacırigid handled binder clip
  • evrak kıskacırigid handled binder clip

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bulldog clip

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

bulldog clip. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bulldog%20clip

MLA

“bulldog clip.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bulldog%20clip. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bulldog clip,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bulldog%20clip.

Source: bulldog clip on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.