From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgrasp the nettlegrasp the nettleBritish EnglishDEAL WITH to deal with an unpleasant situation firmly and without delay We need to grasp the nettle of prison reform. → grasp
Examples from the Corpus
grasp the nettle• A new field of activity seemed to be opening up for him if only he had the courage to grasp the nettle.• Down in Alcester they have grasped the nettle.• Mrs Bottomley later dismissed suggestions that she had failed to grasp the nettle.• Mellor grasped the nettle and told how he felt like Daniel in the lion's den.• Then it may be able to grasp the nettles of boundaries and ethos and see them as secondary.• Since impacts are the product of population numbers and consumption, all nations should grasp the nettle of eventual zero population growth.• When the right hon. Gentleman came to that office, he had the opportunity to grasp the nettle of prison reform.• The community has also grasped the nettle of the unemployment argument for development. 