It's idiom time again!
Let's test your understanding of this idiom - let sleeping dogs lie
How to REMEMBER it:
What happens when you disturb a sleeping or eating dog?
The dog will most likely be aggressive, because they are enjoying their nap/food and will feel threatened when disturbed.
So always remember, if you do not want to get into trouble with the dog, leave it alone when it is sleeping peacefully - and that is what the idiom mean exactly!
" One should leave something alone if it might cause trouble."
How to USE it:
In my example, I wrote "We caught the kid stealing some bread, but we decided to let him off as we decided to let sleeping dogs lie."
Why is letting the kid off likened to "letting sleeping dogs lie"?
The kid may be stealing bread because he is too hungry, if we report him to the police, he may get into trouble. Since we have caught him (and probably warned him about it), no harm was done, and it was better to leave the situation as it is, instead of blowing it up and creating trouble.
Try using this idiom now!
About the Writer
Ms Vivien Wu is the founder of The Pedagogy Domain, a provider of small-group, home-based language workshops for young learners. As an experienced teacher, trainer and facilitator, she is dedicated to improve learners' command of language through interactive, practical and fun workshops. Read more about her here.
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