Sometimesthe hunters were completely unsuccessful in killing any of the animals. They were "buffaloed" by these powerful,speedy creatures who were so hard to control.The expression "to buffalo" soon became part of the speech of theAmerican west. It meant to make someonehelpless, to trick them. In the early nineteenhundreds, a story about attacks on white settlers moving into Indian territoryexplained, "The Sioux had the wagon-train surrounded and the soldiersbuffaloed."
Americansstill use the expression "to bulldoze" but mainly in political situations. It is used sometimes to describe a politicalmove that leads to an unexpected win.For example, a newspaper might comment that a bill that was not popularpassed in Congress because the supporters bulldozed the opposition. The force of the supporters' arguments, orperhaps some legislative tricks, buffaloed the opponents.
Growing up in Nebraska in the 50s and 60s, it was a commonplace expression for us, easily understood and unremarkable, though the sense of overpowering a person was missing. Being buffaloed, one was not so much overpowered as stampeded, nudged into doing something against your better judgment, which could be a metaphorical source for the expression.
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