What does grab the nettle mean?

If you grasp the nettle, you deal with a problem, or do something that is unpleasant, quickly and in a determined way. [mainly British] The government should grasp the nettle of devaluation.

Is it grasp the nettle or mettle?

: Is the phrase grasp the mettle or grasp the nettle? It’s “grasp the nettle”. The point is that if you just brush a nettle leaf tentatively it will sting you, whereas if you grip it firmly it won’t.

How do you grasp nettle?

The saying ‘Grasp the nettle’ – meaning and origin.

What word means nettle like?

When you nettle someone, you act like a nettle; you annoy, bother, and generally tick off a person. The person who nettles you can be called nettlesome, which means that they’re acting like a nettle.

What does the phrase grasping at straws mean?

The idiom ‘grasping at straws’ is used to mean an attempt to succeed—such as in an argument, debate or attempt at a solution—when nothing you choose is likely to work.

What does show your metal mean?

Definition of show one’s mettle : to show how tough one is He showed his mettle as a fighter tonight.

What is the sentence of grasp?

1) The bag was wrenched from her grasp. 2) I don’t grasp your meaning. 3) I wrenched the packet from his grasp. 4) Did you grasp the overall situation?

What is grasp in research?

GRASP (Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program)

Where did the word nettle originate from?

The discomfort caused by nettles can serve to remind one that the verb “nettle” is a synonym of “irritate.” “Nettle” originated as a plant name that we can trace to the Old English word netel.

What’s the meaning of the word nettle?

If you know what a nettle is—it’s a plant with stinging hairs—then you’ll have no trouble remembering the verb nettle: it means to annoy, bother, irritate, or bedevil. When you nettle someone, you act like a nettle; you annoy, bother, and generally tick off a person.

What does it mean to grasp the nettle?

word histories. meaning and origin of the phrase ‘to grasp the nettle’. The phrase to grasp the nettle means to tackle a difficulty boldly. It stems from the idea that it takes some pluck to put to the test the belief that a nettle stings less painfully when seized tightly than when touched lightly.

Do we need a new government who grips the nettle?

We need a new government who will grasp the nettle and hard, but fair, decisions. It’s time for our politicians to grasp the nettle. They should be able to enlist the help of British Christian church leaders. He told the Government to grasp the nettle and protect workers.

Where does the expression ‘touch a nettle for your pains’ come from?

This expression refers to a belief (recorded from the late 16th century onwards) enshrined in a rhyme quoted in Sean O’Casey’sJuno and the Paycock(1925): ‘If you gently touch a nettle it’ll sting you for your pains; grasp it like a lad of mettle, an’ as soft as silk remains’.

What does it mean to touch a nettle lightly?

If they don’t, the traffic congestion is going to get out of control.This expression refers to the belief that if you touch a nettle (= a plant with leaves that sting) lightly, you will be hurt, but not if you take a firm hold if it. To take on a difficult problem directly and energetically.