Strike while the iron is hot. or Make hay while the sun shines
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Take advantage of an opportunity while it is available
Literally: to work metal when it is hot, or make hay when sun is out
Examples
We should strike while the iron is hot and invest in the company now
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Strike while the iron is hot. or Make hay while the sun shines” mean?
Take advantage of an opportunity while it is available Literally: to work metal when it is hot, or make hay when sun is out
Is “Strike while the iron is hot. or Make hay while the sun shines” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.