put the cart before the horse
English
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put the cart before the horse
verb puts the cart before the horse · putting the cart before the horse · put the cart before the horse
- To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities; to put something inconsequential as more important than something more essential. The hour had struck; and with it, as always, appeared the man. So it has ever been in the history of the world; though we, with characteristic vanity, uniformly put the cart before the horse, and declare that it is the man that brings the hour.
Translations
Every language
verb to put things in the wrong order
| Español | poner el carro delante de los bueyes, poner el carro delante del caballo, poner la venda antes de la herida, poner el carro delante del burro, empezar la casa por el tejado |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 本末転倒する honmatsu tento suru |
| 中文 | 本末倒置 běnmòdàozhì, 本末顛倒 /本末颠倒 běnmòdiāndǎo |
| Português | colocar o carro à frente dos bois |
| Français | mettre la charrue avant les bœufs |
| Deutsch | das Pferd von hinten aufzäumen, den Pflug vor die Ochsen spannen |
| Italiano | mettere il carro davanti ai buoi |
| Ελληνικά | προτρέχω protrécho |
| Română | a pune căruța înaintea cailor |
| Русский | ста́вить теле́гу впереди́ ло́шади stávitʹ telégu vperedí lóšadi, начина́ть не с того́ конца́ načinátʹ ne s tovó koncá |
| עברית | רתם את העגלה לפני הסוסים |
Talk about this word "put the cart before the horse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/put%20the%20cart%20before%20the%20horse. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026. put the cart before the horse. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 8, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/put%20the%20cart%20before%20the%20horse "put the cart before the horse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 8, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/put%20the%20cart%20before%20the%20horse.Cite this
@misc{put_the_cart_before_the_horse_2026,
title = {put the cart before the horse},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/put%20the%20cart%20before%20the%20horse},
urldate = {2026-11-08}
}
