What it means
Someone who stomps into a delicate situation and ruins it with clumsy, loud, or tactless behaviour. They mean well sometimes, but they’re all elbows and opinions, breaking stuff that needed a softer touch. Works for literal awkwardness and for social blundering, like blurting secrets or picking fights at a calm dinner.
Usage examples
"We asked Dave to have a quiet word with the neighbours, and he marched in, slagged off their garden, like a bull in a china shop."
"He waded into the family argument like a bull in a china shop and managed to upset everyone within a minute."
"Careful unpacking the glasses, do not go at it like a bull in a china shop or we will have shards everywhere."
"I only asked him to smooth things over with HR, but he went in like a bull in a china shop and turned it into a full-blown row."
"Don’t send Kelly to break the news gently, she’s lovely but she can be like a bull in a china shop when nerves kick in."
Voice comments
No one has left their voice yet. Break the ice.
Where it comes from
The image is old in English and goes back at least to the 1500s. A version appears in John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection, long before modern china shops were the glossy little danger-zones we picture now. It lasted because the meaning lands fast: huge force, delicate setting, absolute carnage.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
