put the cart before the horse

What it means

To do things in the wrong order, especially by tackling a later step before an essential earlier one. It suggests a reversal of logical priorities that makes the whole effort less effective.

Examples

• Buying furniture before you've even signed the lease is putting the cart before the horse.
• Don't put the cart before the horse by planning the party before anyone has agreed to come.
• We're putting the cart before the horse if we design the logo before naming the company.
• Hiring staff before securing funding really is putting the cart before the horse.

Where it comes from

The image of a cart placed in front of the horse that should pull it dates back centuries; versions appear in English by the 1500s, with similar phrasings found in classical Greek and Latin writers.

Related idioms