take the bull by the horns

1. Take the initiative in confronting a difficult position: “You'll never decide what you want in life by just thinking about it; you must take the bull by the horns and try out a few possibilities.”

Idioms and Phrases

Confront a problem head-on, as in We'll have to take the bull by the horns and tackle the Medicare question. This term most likely alludes to grasping a safely tethered bull, not one the matador is fighting in the ring. [c. 1800]

Example Sentences

"I'm 29, I only have so many Wimbledons left in my career. This has to be seen as a reward. You have to take the bull by the horns," he added.

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“She took the bull by the horns and said, ‘That doesn’t matter to me, I’m going to run,'” said longtime supporter Gavin J. Smith.

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They are "taking the bull by the horns," said Tim Savoy, the school district's chief communications officer.

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“What we need for the sake of this great industry is that the world sees us taking the bull by the horns and not just confronting the issue, but leading this transformation,” Scherer added.

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"As a victim, going through nine months of the trial, with all that psychological pain, I needed to take the bull by the horns."

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Related Words

• allow 
• challenge 
• confront 
• deal with 
• encounter 
• endure 
• experience 
• fight 
• meet 
• oppose 
• risk 
• run into 
• suffer 
• take