put the cart before the horse
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Reverse the proper order.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I think it's possible to make a bit of money but at at at the rate you know I feel we're all the time putting the cart before the horse.
This is putting the cart before the horse.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “put the cart before the horse” mean?
Reverse the proper order.
Is “put the cart before the horse” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.