JoanneWang
Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2011
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- China
- Current Location
- Singapore
Hi, teachers. I came across an idiom "have a tiger by the tail" in the course of reading. I do not understand the exact meaning of it.
The story I have read is like this. A boy told a fib about a lake monster which aroused the interests of many sightseers. Several people played along the joke by really making a monster floating on the lake. This actually boosted the businesses in that little town. However, the group of people who had made the monster felt exhausted when setting up the scene on the lake every weekend. But they dared not give it up due to the boomed business. So they said that they had a tiger by the tail.
Does the idiom mean "start on something big but can not finish it"?
From learner Joanne.
The story I have read is like this. A boy told a fib about a lake monster which aroused the interests of many sightseers. Several people played along the joke by really making a monster floating on the lake. This actually boosted the businesses in that little town. However, the group of people who had made the monster felt exhausted when setting up the scene on the lake every weekend. But they dared not give it up due to the boomed business. So they said that they had a tiger by the tail.
Does the idiom mean "start on something big but can not finish it"?
From learner Joanne.
