"grasp the nettle" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From the short-term skin irritation caused by the stinging nettle.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "grasps the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grasping the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grasped the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grasped the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "grasp the nettle (third-person singular simple present grasps the nettle, present participle grasping the nettle, simple past and past participle grasped the nettle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1886 February 22, “London's Recent Rioting”, in New York Times, retrieved 2010-08-18, page 5",
          "text": "Hence it was that a few dozen policemen, resolutely grasping the nettle, had no difficulty in handling it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1951 April 30, “From Today's Times”, in Ottawa Citizen, Canada, retrieved 2010-08-18, page 2",
          "text": "President Truman, when at last he grasped the nettle and dismissed MacArthur, knew well enough the outcry that would follow.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 May 24, “Brown's Britain: taking the nuclear option”, in telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 2010-08-18",
          "text": "That Tony Blair should wait until the dying days of his premiership before grasping the nettle of nuclear expansion has proved dangerously neglectful.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 May 6, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: One chance for a new order”, in Rail, page 3",
          "text": "We must be bold. We must grasp the nettle and make the most of this opportunity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act boldly, especially when there are short-term adverse consequences."
      ],
      "id": "en-grasp_the_nettle-en-verb-Xj1uV1vZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "bold",
          "bold"
        ],
        [
          "adverse",
          "adverse"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To act boldly, especially when there are short-term adverse consequences."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "nettlesome"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-grasp the nettle.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/da/En-au-grasp_the_nettle.ogg/En-au-grasp_the_nettle.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/En-au-grasp_the_nettle.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "grasp the nettle"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From the short-term skin irritation caused by the stinging nettle.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "grasps the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grasping the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grasped the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "grasped the nettle",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "grasp the nettle (third-person singular simple present grasps the nettle, present participle grasping the nettle, simple past and past participle grasped the nettle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "nettlesome"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1886 February 22, “London's Recent Rioting”, in New York Times, retrieved 2010-08-18, page 5",
          "text": "Hence it was that a few dozen policemen, resolutely grasping the nettle, had no difficulty in handling it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1951 April 30, “From Today's Times”, in Ottawa Citizen, Canada, retrieved 2010-08-18, page 2",
          "text": "President Truman, when at last he grasped the nettle and dismissed MacArthur, knew well enough the outcry that would follow.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 May 24, “Brown's Britain: taking the nuclear option”, in telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 2010-08-18",
          "text": "That Tony Blair should wait until the dying days of his premiership before grasping the nettle of nuclear expansion has proved dangerously neglectful.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 May 6, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: One chance for a new order”, in Rail, page 3",
          "text": "We must be bold. We must grasp the nettle and make the most of this opportunity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act boldly, especially when there are short-term adverse consequences."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "bold",
          "bold"
        ],
        [
          "adverse",
          "adverse"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To act boldly, especially when there are short-term adverse consequences."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-grasp the nettle.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/da/En-au-grasp_the_nettle.ogg/En-au-grasp_the_nettle.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/En-au-grasp_the_nettle.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "grasp the nettle"
}