Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[youngdog]

I have a question I'd like to ask you.
I read a Japanese newspaper online the other day.
I believe "bully" should be "bullish".
I'd appreciate it if you would give me your reply.
Thank you in advance.

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The new planned services include beauty treatments tailored to individual customers' hair, weight and other genetic traits, and funeral services that preserve the DNA of the deceased.

Also in the works are plans to develop drugs tailored to each patient's gene characteristics in order to reduce the side effects of the medications.

Not everyone is bully on the new businesses.

"DNA data could be linked to personal information such as medical history, criminal records, race, religion or beliefs, and traded for money or used by consumers without a full understanding of the implications of DNA," cautions Ryuichi Ida, a professor at Kyoto University and expert on bioscience and international laws.
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youngdog

[CP]

I agree that "bullish" is a more likely choice than "bully" for the headline, but "bully" might be all right, too.

President Theodore Roosevelt was famous for saying "Bully!" when he liked something, and you still sometimes hear people say things like, "Bully for you!" It means, "Good for you!" or "Great!" or "Excellent!"

As an adjective, "bully" means excellent or first-rate. So it's not too great a stretch to say that not everyone is bully / feeling bully about the new business.

Even so, I would stick with "bullish" if I were to write the headline.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[youngdog]

Thank you very much for your reply.
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youngdog