Would you like a phrase that tells someone that they should use careful consideration or thought before they proceed with something? The phrase 'look before you leap' is a common English saying that can be used to mean just that. This post unpacks the meaning, origin, and commmon use of the expression.
Meaning
The phrase 'look before you leap' is a common figurative saying in the English language, which can be used to mean that someone should consider or plan something more carefully before they act on it.
'Looking before you leap' implies that someone should put thought or consideration before action.
Often the phrase 'look before you leap' is said as a caution from one person to another.
The phrase can also be used to have sarcastic implications, or to jokingly imply that someone acted without planning or foresight.
Context of the phrase is usually made apparent from the rest of the discussion, or by one of the speakers.
Someone who 'looks before they leap' is assumed to be prepared before action, whereas someone who does 'not look before they leap' is implied to mean the opposite.
Example Usage
“If you don't look before you leap, you're going to end up with no idea what the fuck you're doing in Chicago in the middle of the winter as an accountant.”
“You should look before you leap, or you're going to end up like that guy in the office who drilled a hole in the side of his head when he turned thirty-two.”
“Look before you leap, or you're going to be divorced before you know it. Marriage isn't for everyone, and I don't think it's for you.”
“If you don't look before you leap, you're going to be absolutely clueless about what to do at work in the next week. Just read the manual, that's what it's there for.”
Origin
The origin of the phrase 'look before you leap' is often disputed by language resources, because nobody is exactly sure when or where the first usage of the phrase might have happened.
A common myth about the phrase and its origin is that it might have come from horseracing, though this is not accepted to be the case and the origin story is debunked by most serious language resources.
In horseracing, the term of looking at potential obstacles is referred to as 'craning' and 'look before you leap' is not said in horseracing as a serious term nor ever was.
'Look before you leap' is a phrase that was in common use as a figurative saying by the 1800s, and the figurative meaning of the saying has continued well into modern times.
The website Urban Dictionary lists the phrase 'look before you leap' from 2008, even though early use of the saying is obvious and documented.
Phrases Similar to Look Before You Leap
- Leap of faith
Phrases Opposite to Look Before You Leap
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- Look before you leap
- Looking before you leap
Ways People May Say Look Before You Leap Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'look before you leap' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the meaning of the phrase in a discussion.
The phrase is not used as 'looks before you leap' as it would render an incorrect phrase
The saying might not necessarily translate well to all languages, especially ones that do not have a direct equivalent of the phrase.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Look Before You Leap
There are several correct way to use the phrase 'look before you leap' in conversation.