take the bit between one's teeth

[gamechanger]

Hello,

Can I use the idiom "take the bit between one's teeth" in the following context?

Actually, everything was fine until yesterday. We were on intimate terms. Whatever decision we were to make, we always reached a heartfelt consensus. Whatever happened happened last night. He was no longer as intimate as he used to be. He began making any decisions on his own. He didn't even listen to me once. Apparently he took the bit between his teeth (=became disobedient).

[emsr2d2]

No. "to take the bit between one's teeth" means to face up to a difficult task and just get on with it.

[Tdol]

If he did take the bit between the teeth in those circumstances, he probably broke the relationship off.

[gamechanger]

Turkish, my native language, has exactly the same idiom, but we use it in a different sense from you're saying. The Turkish version is more to do with becoming disobedient or making independent decisions.

[emsr2d2]

I could just about make a case for it meaning to make an independent decision but definitely not for being disobedient.

[Tdol]

The bit is designed to control a horse, so it is not about disobedience to us.

[GoesStation]

Turkish, my native language, has exactly the same idiom, but we use it in a different sense from you're saying. The Turkish version is more to do with becoming disobedient or making independent decisions.

I wonder if the Turkish expression might not mean Take the bit out of one's mouth. In the English expression, "take" means accept, not ​remove.

[gamechanger]

The bit is designed to control a horse, so it is not about disobedience to us.

Yes, but when a horse takes the bit between his teeth, he gets out of control and runs so fast that his rider cannot stop him.

[Skrej]

The English version does have more to do with taking control of a situation. We extend that to mean starting or getting on with a task, because we're taking control of the situation and starting, instead of doing nothing, and we're doing so in a decisive or controlling manner.

Normally the bit rides behind a horse's molars, in the corners of a mouth. When a horse tries to fight that by tightening their gums or lips (they rarely actually put the bit in their teeth), they're trying to wrest control from the rider.

Still, I don't think it's quite the right idiom for the example sentence.

[gamechanger]

I wonder if the Turkish expression might not mean Take the bit out of one's mouth. In the English expression, "take" means accept, not ​remove.

Your post escaped my notice. No. That's not the case. I thought take meant place here.