like a bull at a gate

9.2

Doing something suddenly and forcefully without thinking because you are very eager

idiom

: como un toro en una cacharrería

She tends to tackle new projects like a bull at a gate, without thinking them through.

Examples

He jumped into the conversation like a bull at a gate, barely waiting for his turn to speak.
He charged into the meeting like a bull at a gate!
The puppy dashed through the open door like a bull at a gate, eager to explore the garden.
When the whistle blew, the players ran like a bull at a gate.
He jumped into the conversation like a bull at a gate, eagerly interrupting everyone around him.
She started the project like a bull at a gate, diving in without considering all the details.
The children raced to the playground like a bull at a gate, excited and full of energy.

Synonyms

frantically

vslike a bull at a gate

59 4.4

In a hurried and worried way because of fear

is motivated by eager impatience rather than by anxiety

like mad

vslike a bull at a gate

Informal

13 8.1

Act very quickly and with great effort

shows eager impatience and often reckless force rather than only speed

impulsively

vslike a bull at a gate

12 5.1

Act quickly because you suddenly want to, without thinking first

stems from eager impatience and expresses reckless force

frenetically

vslike a bull at a gate

1 7.0

Very quickly and in a worried or excited way

focuses on eager impatience and sudden force rather than only energy

impetuously

vslike a bull at a gate

1 7.7

Suddenly and without thinking carefully

is driven by eager impatience and often more reckless action

bullishly

vslike a bull at a gate

7.5

Being forceful and pushy, ignoring other people's views

expresses eager impatience and reckless suddenness, not controlled aggression

Antonyms

slow

∞ 1.0

Moving or happening at a low speed

hesitant

73 3.2

Slow to act or speak because you feel unsure

How Eager

reckless

193 3.6

like a bull at a gate

9.2

impatient

97 2.8

eager

447 1.0

interested

∞ 1.0

willing

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

like a bull at a gate positive

Morphology

like + a + bull + at + a + gate

This simile directly evokes a literal image: a bull at a gate is likely to charge or push forcefully, so the meaning of sudden, eager or reckless action is directly inferable from 'bull' + 'gate' with the comparator 'like'. The components are concrete and the comparison pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand the intended sense.

Etymology

The idiom like a bull at a gate may come from the image of a strong bull waiting behind a closed gate and rushing forward the moment it opens. That's why the phrase describes acting 'with great eagerness or impatience', often in a sudden or reckless way.