English Idiom – Hold your horses

Meaning – Wait. This expression is a command that tells someone to stop doing something or to wait for a moment. Hold your horses may also be used to tell someone to think more carefully about what they are doing – to consider their actions before making a rushed decision. You can also use this expression to tell someone to be more patient.

Need to tell someone to hurry up? Try these idioms:

More idioms featuring horses:
  • Dark horse – Someone who wins something unexpectedly
  • Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth – Don’t question the value of a gift that you receive
  • Eat like a horse – Eat a lot
  • Flog a dead horse – Waste energy on a lost cause
  • High horse – An attitude of moral superiority
  • Horsing around – To fool around (in a rough manner)
  • So hungry you could eat a horse – Extremely hungry
  • You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink – You can’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do

Related Proverbs:

Usage:

When could you use this idiom?

  • You are telling a child to be patient as they get ready for an exciting trip.
  • A colleague is making an important decision without giving it enough thought or consideration.
  • Somebody is trying to push in front of you in a queue.
  • Your friend is getting ready to leave a restaurant before you have even finished your dessert!
Example:
  • “Don’t call a taxi yet – hold your horses! We haven’t even finished packing!”
In The News:
Discuss:
  • Is there an idiom like this in your country?
What is an idiom?

An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally.  An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.