tup
/tʌp
/noun chiefly British
A ram: tups were set free among the ewes for mating...
- We had 450 sheep, 20 tups and 150 cattle culled and lying in a shed for 10 days before they could go on the pyre.
- A farmer buying some replacement breeding ewes or a new tup could not then move his store lambs or suckler calves.
- For the Harpers, the sheep farming year begins in September when they put their tups to their ewes.
verb (tups, tupping, tupped) [with object]
1 (often as noun tupping) chiefly British (Of a ram) copulate with (a ewe): the shepherd arranges the tupping depending on when he wants his ewes to lamb...
- The farmers in the group have had to coordinate tupping so that fresh lambs, around 70 each month, are available all year round.
- Owners of breeding ewes in this position may well have to consider tupping their remaining flock before offering them for sale.
1.1 vulgar slang (Of a man) have sexual intercourse with (a woman).
2Northern English informal Headbutt (someone) in a fight.
Origin
Middle English: of unknown origin.