let sleeping dogs lie

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B2

Post

Example

“I won't mention the old dispute; better to let sleeping dogs lie.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

play with fire Neutral · CEFR B2

to take a serious risk that is likely to bring harmful consequences

out of the frying pan into the fire Neutral · CEFR C1

To escape one bad situation only to land in a worse one.

better late than never Neutral · CEFR A2

Doing something after a delay is better than not doing it at all.

actions speak louder than words Neutral · CEFR B1

What you do matters more than what you say.

don't judge a book by its cover Neutral · CEFR B1

appearances can be misleading, so assess things properly

easier said than done Neutral · CEFR B1

Something that sounds simple to do but is actually hard.

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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