Take the bull by the horns and grab the bull by the horns

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Grammarist

Take the bull by the horns and grab the bull by the horns are two ways of expressing the same idiom. We will examine the definition of the terms take the bull by the horns and grab the bull by the horns, where they may have come from and some examples of their use in sentences.

To take the bull by the horns and to grab the bull by the horns are idioms that both mean to face a situation head on, especially a difficult or dangerous situation. The exact origin of the phrases take the bull by the horns and grab the bull by the horns is unknown. Many ascribe these idioms to bullfighting. Others believe they originated in the American Old West, where cowboys wrestled with cows and steers. The terms take the bull by the horns and grab the bull by the horns were first seen in the early 1700s, so both of these explanations are at best, dubious. It may be reasonable to assume that farmers have always controlled their livestock by grabbing them by the horns, and the term was in literal use long before it was used figuratively in written language.

Examples

New York needs to either change the merger process or take the bull by the horns and force schools to merge when enrollment and finances hinder a school’s ability to provide the type of education children deserve. (The Jamestown Post Journal)

THE daughter of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is set to grab the bull by the horns at the board table of one of Australia’s biggest beef producers. (The Weekly Times)