Let sleeping dogs lie

Do not stir up a problem that has lain quiet for some time.

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Idioms and Phrases

Allow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie . This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s.

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April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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