Darwin's Bulldog

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From a comparison the English biologist Huxley made between himself and the bulldog, since they are both ferocious fighters (the bulldog fights with spirit to win fights, and Huxley fought with spirit in defense of evolution). Also, a pun on actual animals named after Darwin (Darwin's finch, Darwin's frog, etc.).

Proper noun

Darwin's Bulldog

  1. Thomas Henry Huxley.
    • 1896, Henry F. Osborn, “Memorial tribute to Professor Thomas H. Huxley”, in Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, volume XV, New York, pages 46–47:
      He said afterwards, “you know I have to take care of him, in fact I have always been Darwin's bulldog,” and this exactly expressed one of the many relations which existed so long between the two men. Huxley was not always fortunate in the intellectual calibre of the men to whom he lectured in the Royal School of Mines.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.