释义 |
let sleeping dogs lie
let sleeping dogs lieTo leave a situation alone so as to avoid worsening it. Oh, don't mention that fight they had months ago—let sleeping dogs lie!See also: dog, let, lie, sleepLet sleeping dogs lie.Prov. Do not instigate trouble.; Leave something alone if it might cause trouble. Jill: Should I ask the boss if he's upset at my coming in late in the mornings? Jane: If he hasn't said anything about it, just let sleeping dogs lie. I thought I would ask Jill if she wanted me to pay her back right away, but then I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.See also: dog, let, lie, sleeplet sleeping dogs lieAllow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie. This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s. See also: dog, let, lie, sleeplet sleeping dogs lie If you tell someone to let sleeping dogs lie, you are warning them not to interfere in a situation or not to talk about problems that have happened in the past. Why does she come over here stirring everything up? Why can't she let sleeping dogs lie? Note: You can call a situation that it would be better not to disturb a sleeping dog. The crux of the film is that his inquisitive son, by arousing the sleeping dog of the past, finds himself in danger.See also: dog, let, lie, sleeplet sleeping dogs lie avoid interfering in a situation that is currently causing no problems, but may well do so as a consequence of such interference. proverb In the early 14th century the French phrase n'esveillez pas lou chien qui dort advised ‘do not wake the sleeping dog’, while Chaucer remarks in Troilus and Criseyde ‘it is nought good a slepyng hound to wake’. The present form of the proverb seems to be traceable to Walter Scott's novel Redgauntlet ( 1824 ).See also: dog, let, lie, sleeplet ˌsleeping dogs ˈlie (saying) do not disturb a situation which could cause trouble: I was very careful about what I said. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, I think.See also: dog, let, lie, sleeplet sleeping dogs lieDon’t stir up trouble; leave well enough alone. Rabelais quoted this thirteenth-century proverb, as did Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde, both alluding to rousing a potentially fierce watchdog.See also: dog, let, lie, sleepAcronymsSeeLSDL |