to grab life by the horns
- idiom
- Informal
- When challenges arise, it's time to grab life by the horns and face them head on.
So live your life in a way, grab life by the the horns of the bull so to speak and don't regret because that gnaws at your spirit.
- So live your life in a way, grab life by the the horns of the bull so to speak and don't regret because that gnaws at your spirit.
- So live your life in a way, grab life by the, the, the horns of the bulls, so to speak, and don't regret because that gnaws at your spirit.
Examples
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This is a perfect opportunity to get out there and grab life by the horns.
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So live your life in a way, grab life by the the horns of the bull so to speak and don't regret because that gnaws at your spirit.
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This is a perfect opportunity to get out there and grab life by the horns.
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Time to grab the bull by the horns and go for it.
Blog text (9) -
High... highly motivated, grab life by the horns.
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Grab life by the horns and make it give you what you so rightfully deserve.
Blog text (3) -
So live your life in a way, grab life by the the the horns of the bull, so to speak, and don't regret because that gnaws at your spirit.
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You should grab life by the horns and take that job offer without hesitating.
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If you want to achieve your dreams, you need to grab life by the horns and make things happen.
Synonyms
Grab something or someone with your hands
To deal with a difficult problem directly and bravely
Face a difficult problem directly and bravely
Act boldly and take control of your life
To act quickly and boldly to make the most of life
How Boldly
- Offensive
- Informal
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses literal words ('grab', 'life', 'horns') to create a concrete metaphor of seizing something difficult, so the constituents give a clear image that suggests taking control. However, the mapping from that image to the specific pragmatic sense 'deal with life boldly/proactively' is metaphorical and idiomatic (related to 'take the bull by the horns'), so a B1 learner might infer a general sense but not the full conventional meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom grab life by the horns comes from the strong image of someone grabbing a bull by its horns to hold and control it. That's why the saying means 'to take control of your life' and 'be bold'.