bull /bʊl/► SEE ALLlike a bull in a china shoptake the bull by the hornsa cock and bull story(like) a red rag to a bullshoot the breeze ●like a ˌbull in a ˈchina shopvery careless or clumsy, especially in a situation where you need to be careful（在需要细心的环境中）莽撞而笨拙，笨手笨脚◆He was like a bull in a china shop, treading on everyone’s feet and apologizing constantly. 他就像一头公牛进了瓷器店，到处踩人的脚，不停地道歉。◆The Prime Minister went into the negotiations like a bull in a china shop and only made the relations between the two countries worse. 首相在谈判中莽撞而笨拙，反而使两国的关系恶化了。●take the ˌbull by the ˈhorns (informal) deal with a difficult or dangerous situation in a direct and brave way勇敢面对困境（或险境）；采取果敢行动◆I decided to take the bull by the horns and ask the bank for a loan. 我果敢地决定向银行借贷。●a ˌcock and ˈbull story (informal) a story, an excuse or an explanation that is so unlikely that no one believes it荒诞的故事（或借口、解释等）；无稽之谈◆I asked him about his job and he gave me some cock and bull story about being so rich he didn’t need to work.我问及他的工作，他编了些离奇的谎话，说他非常富有，不用工作。●(like) a red rag to a ˈbull (BrE) (NAmElike waving a red flag in front of/at a ˈbull) certain to make a particular person very angry or even violent刺激公牛发怒的红布；肯定会激怒某人的事物◆Don’t mention anything about religion to your uncle. It’s like a red rag to a bull.别跟你叔叔提宗教的事，他听了肯定会生气的。NOTE This expression refers to the belief that bulls do not like the colour red.这个表达法原指公牛不喜欢红色这一说法。●shoot the ˈbreeze ( shoot the ˈbull/ˈshit⚠) (both NAmE, informal) talk in a friendly, informal way; chat闲聊；聊天；侃大山◆We sat around in the bar, shooting the breeze.我们坐在酒吧里闲聊。