Antonyms for take the bull by the horns
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : boo l |
| Phonetic Transcription : bÊŠl |
Definition of take the bull by the horns
Origin :- "bovine male animal," from Old English bula "a bull, a steer," or Old Norse boli "bull," both from Proto-Germanic *bullon- (cf. Middle Dutch bulle, Dutch bul, German Bulle), perhaps from a Germanic verbal stem meaning "to roar," which survives in some German dialects and perhaps in the first element of boulder (q.v.). The other possibility [Watkins] is that the Germanic root is from PIE *bhln-, from root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell" (see bole).
- An uncastrated male, reared for breeding, as opposed to a bullock or steer. Extended after 1610s to males of other large animals (elephant, alligator, whale, etc.). Stock market sense is from 1714 (see bear (n.)). Meaning "policeman" attested by 1859. Figurative phrase to take the bull by the horns first recorded 1711. To be a bull in a china shop, figurative of careless and inappropriate use of force, attested from 1812 and was the title of a popular humorous song in 1820s England. Bull-baiting attested from 1570s.
- As in cross the Rubicon : verb take a decisive step
- As in run the gauntlet : verb go through an ordeal
- As in buckle down : verb work very hard
- As in face : verb come up against a situation
Synonyms for take the bull by the horns
- abide
- accost
- address
- affront
- allow
- apply oneself
- attend to
- be a target
- be a whipping boy
- be confronted by
- bear
- beard
- bend
- bit the bullet
- bite the bullet
- brace
- brave
- brook
- challenge
- choose one's fate
- come to grips with
- concentrate on
- confront
- contend
- cope with
- countenance
- court
- court disaster
- cross
- dare
- deal with
- dedicate oneself to
- defy
- devote oneself to
- encounter
- endure
- exert oneself
- experience
- eyeball
- face criticism
- face one's punishment
- fight
- fly in face of
- get serious
- give
- give oneself over to
- go in harm's way
- go through fire and water
- go up against
- grapple with
- jump in with both feet
- keep close to
- keep one's mind on
- knuckle down
- launch into
- leap into the breach
- leave a crossroads
- make a stand
- make one's move
- march up to the cannon's mouth
- meet
- meet head-on
- occupy oneself with
- oppose
- pass the Rubicon
- pitch in
- plunge into
- prendre la balle au bond
- put one's hand to the plow
- put one's nose to the grindstone
- resist
- risk
- run into
- set to
- square off
- stand
- stomach
- submit
- suffer
- sustain
- swallow
- swing into action
- take
- take for better or worse
- take it
- take on
- take one's life in one's hands
- take potshots
- take the bull by the horns
- take the plunge
- tell off
- throw
- tolerate
- turn
- venture
- withstand
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019