Idiom
Jump the gun
To jump the gun is to do something too soon, before the right time or before you have all the facts.
How people use it
People use it for acting early in all kinds of situations: announcing news before it is confirmed, celebrating before a game ends or buying something before a sale starts. It is informal and mildly critical, though people often say it about themselves (I jumped the gun and sent the email before the numbers were final). In modern use it has nothing to do with real weapons. A similar phrase is get ahead of yourself.
Examples
- Omar jumped the gun and told everyone about the new job before he signed the contract.
- The store jumped the gun by putting up holiday decorations in early September.
- Let's not jump the gun; we should wait for the test results first.
Where it comes from
The phrase comes from track and field. Races start with a shot from a starter's pistol, and a runner who leaves before the shot has jumped the gun. Sports writers also spoke of beating the pistol. The figurative use, for acting too early in any situation, spread in American English in the first half of the 1900s.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean if someone jumped the gun?
Answer: They acted too early. Jump the gun means acting before the proper time, like a runner leaving before the starting shot.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Ana jumped the gun and booked flights before her boss approved the trip.. Booking before approval is acting too soon. Waiting carefully is the opposite, and nothing can start early after a race ends.
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