Steer Clear

Okay, after 27 years of mothering and literally countless dinner conversations I have finally found a topic I was not comfortable discussing over chicken and broccoli. 
It started much earlier in my day.  A LOCL called to ask the STP a Bible question.  Since he was not at home, she just asked me. (Since a degree in Bible and Theology from a Christian Bible College is roughly equivalent to a degree in Microbiology from a large secular state university.)  Her question involved whether a steer could be a Passover sacrifice or even kosher. Mmmm....Let me think about that.  Let me dig deep into my knowledge of Levitical Law.  I had a Jewish roommate once.  I learned a lot of things from her my freshman year at PSU.  I even went to Passover Seder at her house.  Do I know anything at all about kosher beef?  While I was pondering this, the LOCL had moved on and was using words like 'mutilated' and 'bull'.  So forget not knowing anything about Rabbis' slaughtering practices, I had to confess that I didn't know there was a difference between a 'steer' and a 'bull'. So the LOCL 'took me behind the bedroom door for a little talk.'  (Her words  :) ),  and explained the difference between a bull and a steer.  And then, after she realized the dearth of my knowledge, she decided she would call the STP at the church.  (I tried to call him first to tell him the difference between a bull and steer, but the LOCL must have him on speed dial, cause she beat me to it.  The STP didn't have to a confess to the LOCL that he also did not know the difference--because he is better at bull than I am.) 
At the supper table, we were discussing this in front of the Goob, because I think if you are from Wyoming you should be knowledgeable about all things beef.  So I was explaining the difference in LOCL terms.  But when you share your dinner table with only two guys, and they ask questions, and anyway, I declared an end to that conversation. 
But for my girls (because somehow this never came up at the dinner table when you lived at home), my faithful non-Wyoming readers (who depend on me for vital Western informantion), and anyone from the East Coast, I will give you the definitions here in one useful place.  Pay close attention.

bull   /bʊl/ 
–noun
1.the male of a bovine animal, esp. of the genus Bos, with sexual organs intact and capable of reproduction.

-noun Slang.

2.exaggerations; lies; nonsense.

—Idiom

3.shoot the bull, to talk aimlessly: We just sat around the dinner table shooting the bull.

steer   /stɪər/
–verb
1.to guide the course of (something in motion) by a rudder, helm, wheel, etc.: to steer a bicycle.
 
–noun

2.a male bovine that is castrated before sexual maturity, esp. one raised for beef.

—Idiom

3.steer clear of, to stay away from purposely; avoid: She steered clear of any castration discussions at the dinner table.

Here then is a little bull joke for those of you who have stayed with me this far into the post:
Three little bull calves are out in the field talking about what they wanted to do when they grew up.  The first one declared he would like to be a bull in a china shop.  The second one thought he might like to be a bull on Wall Street.  But the third one said he just wanted to stay right where he was 'for heifer, and heifer, and heifer...'. 

And to save you a trip to dictionary.com:
heif·er   /ˈhɛfər/
–noun
1. a young cow over one year old that has not produced a calf.