"bulldyke" shortened from "bulldog-like"?

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 08/11/2002 1:39:28 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
douglas at NB.NET writes:

> (1) "bulldyker" from a modern personal name, perhaps a surname such as
>  Bodiker (I couldn't find a candidate person);

I can't resist suggesting "Baedecker" meaning "a woman who has been around"

>
>  (2) "bulldyker" from "Boadicea"/"Boudicca" as above;

Doubtful.  Can you suggest any other slang term which is based on a Classical
name which has worked its way UP from argot or cant instead of starting in
the educated classes and working its way DOWN into being a slang term?

>
>  and maybe
>
>  (3) "bulldyker" from an apparently unattested "bull-diker" meaning
>  "male-dresser" where the verb "dike" here is the one used in "dike up" =
>  "dress up" (a problem here is that this "dress up" seems to have usually
>  been like "dress up in one's best clothes" rather than "dress up in
>  disguise or costume"; also parallel cases of "dike" in similar
>  constructions [which might be 'innocent' ones] apparently are lacking).

OED has "dike,dyke" to dress up (perhaps a variation of "to deck up" from
1851.  A woman who decided to dress up as a man (in pre-World War I days,
when that simply wasn't done) might as well dress up in men's high-fashion
rather than as a working man, and hence might be said to be "dyked up",
leading to "bull-dyked" where "bull" means "masculine, macho".

Then there is "dick" meaning "penis", a usage for which the OED gives an 1891
date.    Bulls (male cows) have prominent penes, giving a possible (and
definitely unattested) "bull-dicker", "someone (perhaps Lesbian) who displays
a (usually metaphorical) penis prominently and uncouthly", similar to "prick"
meaning "an overbearing man".

Hence, a woman playing the male role in an act of Lesbian intercourse might
be a "dicker", and if particularly agressive, "a bull dicker"

There are two separate expressions involving "bull" that mean "stubborn" and
sometimes "juggernaut".  They are "bulldog" and "bulldozer".  When used
metaphorically, the main difference is that a bulldog holds a position,
whereas a bulldozer adances like a juggernaut.

Putting all this together, I can easily imagine someone coming up with a
metaphorical "bull diker" meaning a 1) Lesbian who 2) dressed up in male
finery and 3) was notably stubborn and aggressive in behavior.