The expression Like a Bull in a China Shop literally refers to a lumbering, clumsy person damaging things… imagine someone stumbling around a shop full of delicate items, flailing, knocking things over and breaking them.
That’s what you’d think would happen of you let a bull loose in a real china shop. Wouldn’t he charge into all those shelves of china?
What you think would happen, actually wouldn’t. Watch this video from Discovery Channel’s MythBusters to see how graceful bulls really are…
Interestingly, I found a similar-sounding Arabic proverb, “A storm in the shop of a glass-dealer.” This proverb means a thing is out of its place and doesn’t belong there.
Note: A less literal interpretation of the expression “Like a Bull in a China Shop” refers to someone who’s insensitive and offends people, not caring if they hurt them emotionally.
Many thanks to Michael Laderman for pointing out the video above!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Thursday, November 11th, 2010 at 9:56 am and is filed under Arabic, Bull in a China Shop, Countries & Cultures, English, Languages, Mama Lisa, Proverbs, United Kingdom, USA, Words & Phrases, YouTube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
2 Responses to “A Bull in a China Shop is Really Like a Ballarina!”
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November 12th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
The French equivalent is “comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine” (like an elephant in a china shop). The Spanish equivalent is “como un elefante en una cacharrería” (like an elephant in an earthenware shop).
November 15th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Portuguese: um elefante em uma loja de cristais (from France to Brazil, the elephant moved from a china shop to a crystal shop. what a so curious elephant!
In Portuguese, also, I remembered another saying (more dangerous, maybe!), not so used, but… um macaco com uma navalha na mão – a monkey with a razor in his hand…