bull in a china shop

a bull in a china shop

One who is aggressively reckless and clumsy in a situation that requires delicacy and care. My son can be a bit of a bull in a china shop, so I'm worried about taking him to the museum. Surrounding him with valuables does not seem like a wise idea! This is a complex problem, and if you attack it like a bull in a china shop, you will alienate a lot of people.
See also: bull, china, shop
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*bull in a china shop

Prov. a very clumsy creature in a delicate situation. (*Typically: as awkward as ~; like ~.) I never know what to say at a funeral. I feel like a bull in a china shop, trampling on feelings without even meaning to. Lester felt like a bull in a china shop; reaching for an orange, he made several elaborate pyramids of fruit tumble down.
See also: bull, china, shop
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

bull in a china shop

An extremely clumsy person, as in Her living room, with its delicate furniture and knickknacks, made him feel like a bull in a china shop . The precise origin for this term has been lost; it was first recorded in Frederick Marryat's novel, Jacob Faithful (1834).
See also: bull, china, shop
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

bull in a china shop

Clumsily destructive. An early written example of the expression appeared in Frederick Marryat's 1834 novel, Jacob Faithful , although the image of a bull wrecking havoc as he wandered among tables and shelves of fine porcelain can be traced a century earlier. The expression can also be found in several European languages, although the animal in question is an elephant. In 1940, an American press agent led a bull through a New York City china shop as a publicity stunt. The bull didn't break anything, but a bystander trying to avoid the bull backed into a table and caused the damage.
See also: bull, china, shop
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • a bull in a china shop
  • be like a bull in a china shop
  • like a bull in a china shop
  • bull in a china shop (like a)
  • ham-fisted
  • ham-handed
  • you first
  • butterfingers
  • all thumbs, to be
  • be all thumbs
References in periodicals archive
Gin Mare's bottomless Mediterranean hemed gin brunch is returning to Bull In a China Shop, Shoreditch, on aturday, September 14.
DONALD Trump's presence at the G7 summit in Canada is about as welcome as a bull in a china shop.
We take a few detours AaAeAeAu thereAaAeAeAEs a brilliant dance competition, an unorth running of the bulls and a wonderful interpretation of a bull in a china shop.
He charges round like a bull in a china shop. This infuriates everyone as he has to get used to what it is like staying on a farm.
Another asserted that the 'Four Minutes' hit maker is as culturally sensitive as a bull in a china shop and puts her foot in her mouth constantly.
The first dog took no notice of me but the Rottweiller charged at me like the proverbial "bull in a china shop."
IT was noted several Tory sup-porters and, indeed, politicians blundered in like the proverbial 'bull in a china shop' to condemn Birmingham City Council over the decision not to lower the flags in response to the death of Margaret Thatcher.
He is a bull in a China shop, a political novice who if he has his way ( and that is just possible) will destroy the delicate equalibrium ( sic) within the state ( Bengal) Congress party ..." The above assessment was arrived at by two American diplomats who had lunch with Nath in Calcutta in 1976 and describe him as a businessman and a confidant of Sanjay Gandhi.
If Cameron does it like a bull in a china shop we risk creating a lot of ferrets and very few rabbits.
If Cameron does it like a bull in a china shop,we risk creating a lot of ferrets and very few rabbits.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned the West against behaving "like a bull in a china shop", saying Syrians themselves should be allowed to decide their own fate.
It should not be a bull in a china shop money saving exercise.
Last night, an eye-witness said: "It was lucky he didn't keep going into Caithness Glass because that would have been like the classic bull in a china shop."
Koolhaas' unexpected gatecrashing had a slightly bull in a china shop character.
Now Herefordshire is being hit by feverish buying as locals desperately search for the last bull in a china shop.