grasping the nettle
Tackling unpleasant tasks
Grasping the nettle means confronting a difficult or unpleasant situation directly rather than avoiding it.
Nettles sting when touched lightly but cause less pain when gripped firmly—hence the metaphor for bold action: She finally grasped the nettle and told him the marriage was over.
Mostly British usage.
- solutionAnswer or liquid mixture
- boldnessFearless readiness to act
- bold moveAudacious action with risk
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
- troubleshootingSystematic fault diagnosis
hard choices · tough call · choice · valor · fearlessness · overcoming · daring · grit · stiff upper lip · audacity · taking the plunge · steadfastness · commitment · deliberation · toughness · strategy · confrontation · adaptation
grasping the nettleburying one's head in the sand
Ignoring obvious problems deliberately
sidestepping · ducking · evading · turning a blind eye · sweeping under the rug
grasping the nettleprocrastinating
Postponing what needs doing
dithering · postponing · delaying · dragging one's feet · foot-dragging
grasping the nettlechickening out
Withdrawing from cowardice
getting cold feet · balking · shrinking back · cowering · flinching
grasp, grasps, grasped, grasping, nettle, nettles, nettled, nettling