An extremely clumsy person, as in Her living room, with its delicate furniture and knickknacks, made him feel like a bull in a china shop. The precise origin for this term has been lost; it was first recorded in Frederick Marryat’s novel, Jacob Faithful (1834).
Where did the phrase bull in a china shop come from?
It is widely believed that the phrase came about from real-life situations, when cattle were brought to the market in London in the 17th century. The beasts would stray into nearby china shops and played havoc with the items. The earliest recorded use is in Frederick Marryat’s novel, ‘Jacob Faithful’ (1834).
What happens if you put a bull in a china shop?
If someone is like a bull in a china shop, they are very careless in the way that they move or behave: We told her it was a delicate situation but she went into the meeting like a bull in a china shop.
Will a bull run amok in a china shop?
As an exercise in literalism it was almost perfect. A runaway bull ran amok – not in a china shop – but an antique store. The centre’s owner, Alan Blackburn, said yesterday he was ready for all the “bull in the china shop” jokes he would hear, but insisted the experience was terrifying.
What’s worse than a bull in a china shop?
What’s worse than a bull in a china shop? A hedgehog in a condom factory.
Is like a bull in a china shop a simile?
Like a bull in a china shop means behaving in a clumsy manner, behaving in a reckless manner, rushing head-long into a situation without forethought. The idiom like a bull in a china shop may have its roots in a metaphor provided by Aesop of an ass in a pottery shop.
Is bull in a china shop offensive?
Is bull in a china shop offensive? If someone is like a bull in a china shop, they are very careless in the way that they move or behave: We told her it was a delicate situation but she went into the meeting like a bull in a china shop.
Is like a bull in a china shop a metaphor?
Is bull in a china shop a metaphor?
Like a bull in a china shop means behaving in a clumsy manner, behaving in a reckless manner, rushing head-long into a situation without forethought. The idiom like a bull in a china shop may have its roots in a metaphor provided by Aesop of an ass in a pottery shop. …
