Found 1 items, similar to To take the bull by the horns.
English → English (gcide) Definition: To take the bull by the horns Bull \Bull\, n. [OE. bule, bul, bole; akin to D. bul, G. bulle, Icel. boli, Lith. bullus, Lett. bollis, Russ. vol'; prob. fr. the root of AS. bellan, E. bellow.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) The male of any species of cattle (Bovid[ae]); hence, the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of the whale. [1913 Webster] Note: The wild bull of the Old Testament is thought to be the oryx, a large species of antelope. [1913 Webster] 2. One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action. --Ps. xxii. 12. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull receives him. --Thomson. [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] 5. a ludicrously false statement; nonsense. Also used as an expletive. [vulgar] Syn: bullshit, Irish bull, horseshit, shit, crap, crapola, bunk, bunkum, buncombe, guff, nonsense, rot, tommyrot, balderdash, hogwash, dogshit. [WordNet 1.5] 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.” --W. D.Howells. To take the bull by the horns, to grapple with a difficulty instead of avoiding it. [1913 Webster]