Hello and welcome back to Daily English! Today’s idiom is a classic: “let sleeping dogs lie.”
Clues / Guessing Examples
– Imagine two friends had a big fight months ago. Things are calm now, so you say, “Don’t bring it up again. Let sleeping dogs lie.”
– A company made mistakes years ago, but nobody talks about it anymore. Someone suggests digging into it, but the manager says, “Better to let sleeping dogs lie.”
– A family avoids mentioning an old argument at dinner because they don’t want another fight. They’re letting sleeping dogs lie.
Definition
Let sleeping dogs lie means don’t bring up old problems—leave things alone if they’re not causing trouble.
Examples
I wanted to ask about their breakup, but I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.The issue was finally calm, so the lawyer advised to let sleeping dogs lie.
Sometimes it’s wiser to let sleeping dogs lie than to reopen old wounds.
This idiom comes from the idea that if a dog is sleeping peacefully, don’t wake it up—it might bark or bite. In the same way, old conflicts are best left alone.
Personal Question
So, what about you? Do you usually face old problems directly, or do you prefer to let sleeping dogs lie?