take the bull by the horns

: to get into one's hands or into one's possession, power, or control: such as

: to seize or capture physically

: to get possession of (fish or game) by killing or capturing

: a distinct or personal point of view, outlook, or assessment

: an act or the action of taking: such as

: the uninterrupted photographing or televising of a scene

: a male bovine

: a usually adult male of various large animals (such as elephants, whales, or seals)

: one who buys securities or commodities in expectation of a price rise or who acts to effect such a rise — compare bear

: of or relating to a bull

: male

: suggestive of a bull

: to advance forcefully

: to act on with violence

: force

: a solemn papal letter sealed with a bulla or with a red-ink imprint of the device on the bulla

: edict, decree

: to fool especially by fast boastful talk

: to engage in idle and boastful talk

: a grotesque blunder in language

: empty boastful talk

: nonsense

: one of the usually paired bony processes that arise from the head of many ungulates and that are found in some extinct mammals and reptiles: such as

: one of the permanent paired hollow sheaths of keratin usually present in both sexes of cattle and their relatives that function chiefly for defense and arise from a bony core anchored to the skull — see cow illustration

: antler