verb phrase🎓 English idiom
take the bull by the horns
to confront a problem head-on
What it means
To confront a difficult problem or situation directly and with courage, rather than avoiding it. It implies dealing with something boldly despite the risk involved.
Words like “take the bull by the horns” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- Instead of worrying, she took the bull by the horns and called her boss.
- We need to take the bull by the horns and fix this debt now.
- He finally took the bull by the horns and ended the toxic friendship.
- Take the bull by the horns and ask them for the pay rise you deserve.
Where it comes from
The image comes from the dangerous act of grabbing a bull's horns to control it, possibly linked to old farming practices or bullfighting; the phrase is recorded from the 1800s.
Related idioms
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