take the bit in one's mouth
Also, take the bit between one's teeth. Throw off restraints and proceed on a headlong course, take control. For example, My partner took the bit in his mouth and bid a grand slam, or Jane took the bit between her teeth and now there's no stopping her. This idiom alludes to the bit, the metal mouthpiece of a bridle whereby a rider controls a horse. [c. 1600]
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Words nearby take the bit in one's mouth
takes one to know one, take steps, take stock, take stock in, takes two, take the bit in one's mouth, Take the bitter with the sweet, take the bread out of someone's mouth, take the bull by the horns, take the cake, take the edge off
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.