Meaning of bull in a china shop | Babel Free

Definitions

A person who is clumsy, aggressive, without care, concern or self-control.

idiomatic

Examples

“The various plotters and counterplotters go their devious ways, proceeding with all the subtlety of bulls in china shops, but we never do learn what the plot is all about.”

“The allegations also add to Mr. [Brian] Murphy’s reputation. “Could he be a bit of a bull in a china shop? Absolutely,” said Kerry Sleeper, a former assistant director of the F.B.I. [Federal Bureau of Investigation] who once supervised Mr. Murphy. “But also that’s a person that allows change to happen.””

“I think all Americans are uncomfortable in Paris, to some degree. We’re all bulls in a china shop here …. This is a culture that’s about civility.”

CEFR level