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Definitions

tiger by the tail

NOUN
compulsion
Synonyms
STRONGEST
coercion obsession preoccupation urgency
STRONG
constraint demand drive driving duress duty engrossment exigency force hang-up monkey on one's back necessity need prepossession pressure urge
WEAK
have on the brain
Antonyms
WEAK
free will freedom independence liberty license
NOUN
mania
Synonyms
STRONGEST
craving craze craziness enthusiasm fad fascination frenzy infatuation lunacy obsession passion rage
STRONG
aberration bee bug compulsion delirium derangement desire disorder fancy fetish furor grabber hang-up insanity monomania partiality preoccupation thing tiger
WEAK
ax to grind bee in bonnet bug in ear fixed idea idée fixe on the brain
Antonyms
STRONGEST
calmness dislike hate indifference
STRONG
balance conformity hatred soundness
NOUN
obsession
Synonyms
STRONGEST
compulsion delusion enthusiasm fascination infatuation mania passion phobia preoccupation
STRONG
attraction case complex craze crush fancy fetish hang-up monkey on one's back must neurosis phantom thing
WEAK
ax to grind bug in ear concrete idea idée fixe one-track mind something on the brain
Antonyms
STRONGEST
indifference
STRONG
dislike hate hatred reality

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I told Kevin, ‘You know you got a tiger by the tail here.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2022

"They just grabbed a tiger by the tail, and they don't know what to do with it."

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2014

Developing a devoted fan base may seem like the endgame for any producer of pop culture, but one false move can make it seem like having a tiger by the tail.

From Time • Feb. 24, 2012

So the more time that passes, the more I am convinced that we've got a tiger by the tail here.

From The Guardian • Oct. 19, 2010

Jillson said he’d tried to fight, but if Milligan had really resisted, wouldn’t his captors look as if they’d caught a tiger by the tail?

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.