Let sleeping dogs lie

Cultural  

1. Do not stir up a problem that has lain quiet for some time.

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let sleeping dogs lie Idioms  

1. Allow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie. This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s.

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Example Sentences

Maybe sometimes we should let sleeping dogs lie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

The sage advice is to let sleeping dogs lie, but the new film “Cruella” couldn’t resist shaking the poor creatures awake to the plight of a woman known for trying to murder them.

From Washington Post • May 28, 2021

She may request that you let sleeping dogs lie, and if that’s what she wants, you’ll have to step back and let her handle the situation herself however she thinks best.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2021

“Everyone else knows that you let sleeping dogs lie, particularly in the case of the S.E.C.”

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2018

And Father said, “Best to let sleeping dogs lie, I reckon.”

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon