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put the cart before the horse

to do things in the wrong order

In Idioms & Sayings

In more detail

(idiom) to do things in the wrong order; to deal with effects before causes or results before necessary steps

Examples

• Don't put the cart before the horse—you need to finish your homework before you can go out to play.
• The company was putting the cart before the horse by advertising the product before it was even finished.

How to use put the cart before the horse

This idiom is used to warn against doing things in an illogical or premature sequence, especially when the natural or necessary order matters. It often appears in advice or criticism about planning and procedure. The expression is fixed and cannot be varied (you cannot say 'put the horse before the cart').

Common phrases

• don't put the cart before the horse
• putting the cart before the horse
• put the cart before the horse with

Synonyms

get ahead of oneself · jump the gun · rush ahead · work backwards

A common mistake

Learners sometimes try to invert the expression ('put the horse before the cart') or use it to mean simply 'being disorganized' rather than specifically 'handling effects before causes or results before prerequisites'.

Nearby in Idioms & Sayings

penny for your thoughts, pull out all the stops, put all your eggs in one basket, see eye to eye, sit tight, steal someone's thunder

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained