verb. (American).—The legitimate meaning is extended in many old ways. ‘Bags’ BULGE, but do not get baggy; and in a similar fashion when a man is ‘all attention,’ his eyes are said TO BULGE.
1888. Puck’s Library, May, 31. ‘I hadn’t been downtown half an hour this morning, before I got a fee of ten dollars!’ Then the eyes of a man who was hanging on to a strap began TO BULGE.
TO GO or BE ON A BULGE, verb. phr. (American).—To drink to excess: see SCREWED.
TO GET THE BULGE ON ONE, verb. phr. (orig. American mining slang).—To obtain an advantage, TO GET THE DROP ON ONE (q.v.).
1869. S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), The Innocents at Home, 18. Well, you’ve ruther GOT THE BULGE ON ME. Or maybe we’ve both GOT THE BULGE, somehow.
1885. Household Words, Oct. 10, 466. ‘Smart chap, that Jacob, for a nig!’ remarked he, as we told him the outlines of our story. ‘I guess now he’s HAD THE BULGE ON YOU pretty considerable this trip.’
1888. American Humorist, May 12. ‘Pop! are you up there?’ ‘Yes, my son.’ ‘I saw he HAD THE BULGE ON YOU and I got the gun and dropped him!’ ‘Right, my boy. That’s what I was praying for.’
