What does ‘take the bull by the horns’ mean?
To “take the bull by the horns” means to confront a difficulty directly. The image is old and English proverbial; Brewer's records it without fixing a single origin, though it is often linked to the risky control of a charging bull.
Origin
- The image is old and English proverbial; Brewer's records it without fixing a single origin, though it is often linked to the risky control of a charging bull.
How to use it
- Used approvingly of decisive action.
- Example: She took the bull by the horns and asked for the raise.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.