Taking the wolf by the ears and the tiger by its tail
"Tene lupum auribus" is a latin phrase from ancient Rome which translates to "to take the wolf by the ears". The meaning of this expression is the same as a more commonly used expression today; "To take the bull by the horns". This means to face your problems and chalenges. Face your fears and fight them!
The opposite of this expression is "to hold a tiger by it`s tail". Picture a man holding a tiger by the tail, affraid to let go because then the tiger will be able to turn around and attack him. As long as the man is holding the tiger by it`s tail the two of them will be running around in circles. The man can not let go of the tail without having to face the tiger, and the tiger gets more angry and fierce the longer the man holds on to it`s tail.
The point is if you have a problem, face it and get it over with, or it will only get worse, and just when you realize that you can never let go of the tigers tail, it might suddenly go *SNAP*! =O)
Sidenote: The wolf was an important symbolic creature in the Roman Empire. According to one legend the city of Rome was Founded by two twins, Romulus and Remus, who had been placed in a basket and set afloat on the river Tiber at birth. They were found and suckled by a she-wolf and later raised by a shepherd family.