grasped the nettle
Tackled head-on
Grasped the nettle means confronted a difficult situation boldly, from the folk wisdom that grasping a stinging nettle firmly hurts less than brushing it timidly.
The phrase implies tackling something unpleasant head-on rather than avoiding it: She finally grasped the nettle and told him the marriage was over.
More common in British than American English.
- take the bull by the hornsConfront a difficulty directly
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- initiativeSelf-directed action capacity
- step up to the plateAssume responsibility when needed
- take the plungeCommit after hesitation
resolve · decisiveness · boldness · fortitude · triumph · pluck · daring · audacity · go for broke · inner strength · stiff upper lip · grit · tough it out · confront · bite the bullet · face the music · commitment · persistence
grasped the nettleshied away
Withdrew from apprehensively
buried one's head in the sand · sidestepped · evaded · dodged · looked the other way
grasped the nettledithered
Was unable to decide
vacillated · hesitated · wavered · procrastinated · sat on the fence
grasped the nettlechickened out
Retreated from fear
backed down · balked · flinched · shrank back · got cold feet
grasp, grasped, grasping, grasps, graspable, nettle, nettles, nettled, nettling