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Take the bull by the horns   /teɪk ðə bʊl baɪ ðə hɔrnz/   Listen
noun
Bull  n.  
1.
(Zool.) The male of any species of cattle (Bovidae); hence, the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of the whale. Note: The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the oryx, a large species of antelope.
2.
One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action.
3.
(Astron.)
(a)
Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
(b)
A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and Gemini. It contains the Pleiades. "At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull receives him."
4.
(Stock Exchange) One who operates in expectation of a rise in the price of stocks, or in order to effect such a rise. See 4th Bear, n., 5.
5.
A ludicrously false statement; nonsense. Also used as an expletive. (vulgar)
Synonyms: bullshit, Irish bull, horseshit, shit, crap, crapola, bunk, bunkum, buncombe, guff, nonsense, rot, tommyrot, balderdash, hogwash, dogshit.
Bull baiting, the practice of baiting bulls, or rendering them furious, as by setting dogs to attack them.
John Bull, a humorous name for the English, collectively; also, an Englishman. "Good-looking young John Bull."
To take the bull by the horns, to grapple with a difficulty instead of avoiding it.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Take the bull by the horns" Quotes from Famous Books



... was going to take a hand in the game. After all, it was best to take the bull by the horns at once and have it over with. He knew how well he had fortified himself against any political machinery. So, promptly at a quarter to five, he departed, leaving explicit orders with his subordinates. The strikers moved aside for him, muttering and grumbling, but they made no ...
— Half a Rogue • Harold MacGrath

... not thoroughly enjoy going out to battle upon the most mundane of material planes. A born fighter, she would plunge into the strife for the sheer love of fighting and would take the bull by the horns or the man by the scruff of his neck and lay about her right heartily with her stout ebony stick backed by verbal blows from ...
— The Hawk of Egypt • Joan Conquest

... not listen to the voice of the charmer. buckle to; buckle oneself put one's shoulder to the wheel, lay one's shoulder to the wheel, set one's shoulder to the wheel; put one's heart into; run the gauntlet, make a dash at, take the bull by the horns; rush in medias res, plunge in medias res; go in for; insist upon, make a point of; set one's heart upon, set one's mind upon. stick at nothing, stop at nothing; make short work of &c (activity) 682; ...
— Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Body • Roget

... she reached her own door, and then, still feigning sleep, allow myself to be discovered? Or should I take the bull by the horns, and reveal myself? If the latter, would she scream, or faint, or go into hysterics? Then, again, supposing she resumed her cloak ... a cold damp broke out upon my forehead at the mere thought! All at once, just as ...
— In the Days of My Youth • Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards



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