og i ▁Ber ra ▁and ▁Samuel ▁Gold w yn ▁were ▁famous ▁American ▁mis - spe akers . ▁▁ ▁The ▁Irish ▁b ull ▁can ▁be ▁a ▁pot ent ▁form ▁of ▁self - cons cious ▁equ iv ocation ▁and ▁sat ire ▁in ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁a ▁wit ' s ▁sharp ▁tongue . ▁As ▁such , ▁it ▁is ▁associated ▁particularly ▁with ▁new ▁or ▁marg inal ized ▁populations , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Irish ▁in ▁Britain ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁or ▁the ▁Jews ▁and ▁Germ ans ▁in ▁America ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁century . ▁ ▁Origin ▁ ▁The ▁deriv ation ▁of ▁" b ull " ▁in ▁this ▁sense ▁is ▁unclear . ▁It ▁may ▁be ▁related ▁to ▁Old ▁French ▁b oul ▁" fra ud , ▁dece it , ▁trick ery ", ▁I cel and ic ▁b ull ▁" n ons ense ", ▁Middle ▁English ▁b ull ▁" false hood ", ▁or ▁the ▁verb ▁b ull ▁" be fo ol , ▁mock , ▁che at ". ▁ ▁The ▁Irish ▁were ▁supposed ly ▁peculiar ly ▁pr one ▁to ▁such ▁expressions ▁due ▁to ▁their ▁vol ub ility , ▁their ▁taste ▁for ▁colour ful ▁met aph ors , ▁and ▁their ▁ignor ance ▁( or ▁convers ely ▁excess ive ▁command ) ▁of ▁the ▁English ▁language . ▁American ▁Jewish ▁humor ists ▁have ▁made ▁extensive ▁use ▁of ▁Irish ▁b ull s , ▁d ating ▁from ▁the ▁period ▁when ▁large ▁numbers ▁of ▁recent ▁Jewish ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁Germany ▁or ▁Eastern ▁Europe ▁were ▁present ▁in ▁American ▁cities . ▁ ▁This ▁suggests ▁that