expression🎓 English idiom

hold your horses

wait and slow down

What it means

A way of telling someone to wait, slow down, or be patient before acting or deciding. It's usually said to stop a person from rushing ahead too quickly or jumping to conclusions.

Examples

  • Hold your horses — we haven't even heard the full story yet.
  • Just hold your horses; the tickets don't go on sale until noon.
  • Hold your horses before you sign anything you haven't read.
  • "Can we leave now?" "Hold your horses, I'm not ready!"

Where it comes from

A 19th-century American expression from the literal act of reining in or steadying horses pulling a carriage, telling them to wait before moving off.

Related idioms

#sit tight#jump the gun#play it by ear#cross that bridge when you come to it

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