bull in a china shop

Idioms  

1. An extremely clumsy person, as in Her living room, with its delicate furniture and knickknacks, made him feel like a bull in a china shop. The precise origin for this term has been lost; it was first recorded in Frederick Marryat's novel, Jacob Faithful (1834).

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Example Sentences

“But they’re each two halves of the whole. Bea leads with her brain and Twila is all id. She’s like a bull in a china shop because she has no filter and has a lot of defense mechanisms. Bea has to learn to be braver and bolder. For Twila, bravery isn’t the problem. For her, it’s about learning to trust that other people will love and accept her.”

From Los Angeles Times

“He’s a bull in a China shop,” McCoy said.

From Los Angeles Times

One longtime NFL figure familiar with Bieniemy, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said he came across “like a bull in a china shop; he’s almost honest to a fault, too.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Shelley described him as "like a bull in a china shop - once he gets moving, nothing's going to stop him".

From BBC

Both are veteran politicians who have the traits of a bull in a china shop.

From BBC