Meaning
To act decisively at the moment conditions are most favourable instead of hesitating and letting the opportunity cool. Almost always advice or commentary on timing ('we struck while the iron was hot'); the imagery is the blacksmith's forge, where metal can only be shaped while it is still hot. Neutral, proverbial register; urges prompt action and usually approves of whoever acted quickly. Regional use: General English.
Origin
A blacksmithing proverb: iron must be hammered while it is hot and malleable. In English it goes back at least to Chaucer's Tale of Melibee (late 14th century): 'right so as whil that iren is hoot men sholden smyte'. That tale is itself a translation of a French prose work, and the proverb has a long continental life - modern French still has 'il faut battre le fer pendant qu'il est chaud' - so the English saying most likely descends from medieval continental versions rather than arising independently; Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable records the French form as the proverb's analogue. The Phrase Finder notes the earliest record of the direct ancestor of the modern wording in Richard Edwards' play Damon and Pithias (circa 1566): 'I haue plied the Haruest, and stroke when the Yron was hotte'.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- hit while the iron is hot
- strike the iron while it is hot
- strike when the iron is hot
- strike while the iron's hot
Usage Examples
- Interest rates had just dropped, so the developers struck while the iron was hot and filed the permit application that week.
- If the committee is willing to listen today, strike while the iron is hot and present your proposal now.
- She struck while the iron was hot, signing the sponsorship deal within hours of the final whistle.