Put the cart before the horse

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Meaning

To mix up order or logic, doing things backward.

Origin

From 14th-century England, tied to carts; proverb by 1380 in Chaucer for reverse, as 'cart before horse. ' A 1520s text uses it for a daft act.

Variants

  • Cart before horse

Usage Examples

  • You're putting the cart before the horse; plan first!
  • He put the cart before the horse, buying without funds.
  • Don't put the cart before the horse; learn then leap.

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