take the bit in one's mouth

To have your own way; take charge of things; take control of something.

/When Mary wanted something, she was likely to take the bit in her teeth and her parents could do nothing with her./

Compare: TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms

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	mouth [mouth] See: [BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN ONE'S MOUTH], [BUTTER WOULDN'T MELT IN ONE'S ... A Dictionary of American Idioms take the bull by the horns [take the bull by the horns] {v. phr.}, {informal} To take definite action and not ... A Dictionary of American Idioms tooth [tooth] See: BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH, CUT TEETH or CUT EYETEETH, EYE FOR ... A Dictionary of American Idioms hand [hand] See: [AT HAND], [BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH], [BITE ... A Dictionary of American Idioms get one's teeth into [get one's teeth into] or [sink one's teeth into] {v. phr.}, {informal} To have something ... A Dictionary of American Idioms take the law into one's own hands [take the law into one's own hands] {v. phr.} To protect one's supposed rights or ... A Dictionary of American Idioms heart in one's mouth [heart in one's mouth] or [heart in one's boots] A feeling of great fear or ... A Dictionary of American Idioms