let sleeping dogs lie

L

let sleeping dogs lie (idiom)
/lɛt ˈsliːpɪŋ dɑːɡz laɪ/

Synopsis

The idiom “let sleeping dogs lie” means to avoid reopening old or sensitive issues that could cause trouble. Its meaning comes from the image of a sleeping dog that is harmless unless disturbed, and the phrase became a fixed proverb in sixteenth-century England, where it has remained in common use ever since.

Meanings

• Avoid bringing up old problems or sensitive issues that could cause trouble if reopened.
• Do not interfere in a settled or quiet situation, especially when action may create conflict.
• Refrain from revisiting past disputes, mistakes, or matters that are better left alone.

Synonyms: leave well enough alone; don’t rock the boat; let bygones be bygones; avoid stirring up trouble; keep things as they are.

Example Sentences

1. After years of peace between the families, he chose to let sleeping dogs lie rather than mention the old disagreement.
2. The lawyer advised her client to let sleeping dogs lie, since reopening the case could lead to serious consequences.
3. Although he remembered the incident clearly, he decided to let sleeping dogs lie and focus on the present.

Origin and History

The underlying idea behind “let sleeping dogs lie” is rooted in a simple and widely understood observation: a sleeping animal is harmless, but waking it may provoke aggression. From an early stage, the image served as a metaphor for dormant trouble—suggesting that inactive problems, grudges, or dangers are best left undisturbed. This figurative reasoning appears long before the phrase settled into its modern wording, indicating that the concept predates the idiom itself.

Medieval Precursors

In Middle English literature, the thought appears in variant form rather than as a fixed expression. Geoffrey Chaucer reflects the same cautionary principle in Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1385), writing:

“It is nought good a slepyng hound to wake.”

Although phrased differently, this line clearly conveys the same warning against disturbing something that is better left alone. Such early examples show that the metaphor of a sleeping dog or hound was already established in English thought by the late medieval period.

Proverbial Form in Tudor England

The phrase reached its recognizable proverb form in sixteenth-century England, where collections of common sayings began to standardize everyday wisdom. The earliest clear printed record appears in A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue by John Heywood, published in 1546. Heywood records the expression directly as:

“Let sleeping dogges lye.”

This citation marks the moment when the idea crystallized into a fixed proverb, widely circulated and easily recognized.

Country of Origin

Based on surviving printed evidence and literary usage, the idiom originated in England. Its development follows a clear English lineage—from medieval poetic imagery to early modern proverb collections—without reliance on borrowing from other languages. By the mid-sixteenth century, it was firmly embedded in English speech and writing.

Later Usage and Enduring Meaning

After its appearance in proverb literature, “let sleeping dogs lie” continued to gain popularity through sermons, political writing, and everyday conversation. Over time, its meaning remained remarkably stable, consistently advising restraint, discretion, and avoidance of unnecessary conflict. The persistence of the phrase reflects the enduring relevance of its core lesson: unresolved issues may be less dangerous when left undisturbed than when forcibly revived.

Variants

• let a sleeping dog lie
• let sleeping dogs rest
• better let sleeping dogs lie

Animal, Dog, Ignore, Sleep

Last update: December 24, 2025 7:53 AM