Idiom
Hold your horses
Hold your horses means wait a moment, slow down and don't rush into something.
How people use it
You say this to someone who is impatient or acting too fast: a child grabbing dessert before dinner, or a coworker about to send an email that needs checking. It is usually a command on its own, "Hold your horses," or part of a sentence, "Hold your horses until the results are in." The tone is informal and often playful, but it can sound bossy if said sharply. People also change the pronoun: "Tell them to hold their horses."
Examples
- Hold your horses, the cookies need to cool before you eat them.
- Before you quit your job, hold your horses and think it through.
- Ben told the eager reporters to hold their horses until the results were official.
Where it comes from
The phrase goes back to the days of horse-drawn wagons and carriages, and to horse racing, when drivers and riders had to rein in eager horses so they would not bolt. The figurative use for people appears in American English by the middle of the 1800s, sometimes spelled "hold your hosses" to show a casual accent.
Check yourself
1. Your sister says, "Hold your horses," as you reach for the car keys. What does she want?
Answer: She wants you to wait. Hold your horses means slow down and be patient.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Hold your horses, we can't open the presents until everyone arrives.. The idiom asks someone to wait, which fits waiting for guests.
Similar idioms
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