take the bull by the horns

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

Post

Example

“She took the bull by the horns and confronted her landlord about the leak.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

actions speak louder than words Neutral · CEFR B1

What you do matters more than what you say.

kick off Informal · CEFR B1

to begin an event, meeting, or project

pull the trigger Informal · CEFR B1

to finally make a decision and act on it

beat around the bush Informal · CEFR B2

To avoid talking about the main point directly.

bite the bullet Neutral · CEFR B2

To force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult that you have been avoiding.

call a spade a spade Informal · CEFR B2

to speak plainly and directly, even bluntly

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.

markdown