{"id":10516,"date":"2022-11-16T22:16:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10516"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:16:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:37","slug":"cross-the-bridge-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/cross-the-bridge-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross the Bridge \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is your friend scared about an upcoming event? You could tell them to calm down, and you\u2019ll cross that bridge when you get to it. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u201ccross the bridge\u201d means to delay worrying about events that might not occur. It means you\u2019ll deal with a situation when it arises. If you \u201ccross a bridge when you get there,\u201d it means avoiding trying to solve a problem before it arrives.<\/p>\n<p>You wait until it becomes an issue before you attempt to solve it. It\u2019s a way of telling someone to avoid stressing out about something that\u2019s not immediately apparent.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\"Don't worry about how to handle the client. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we'll just focus on making it work for the rest of the team.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"This is becoming a problem, but it's nothing to worry about right now. We'll cross that bridge when it gets here. For now, just relax and put it out of your mind.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm telling you, don't worry about it, man. We'll cross that bridge when it gets here. For now, we'll just keep doing what we're doing.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"The exam is at the end of the month. We haven't started studying, but we still have time. We'll cross that bridge when it gets here. For now, we'll go out tonight and have some fun.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I know you think it's a big deal, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. You're blowing things out of proportion right now, don't stress about it.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Is there a reason why you're stressing about things? There's nothing you can do about it right now. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Just relax.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Let's just let things happen naturally. There's no reason to get out of hand right now.\"<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-10517\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Cross-the-Bridge.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"162\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-10518\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Cross-the-Bridge2-300x276.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"182\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Cross-the-Bridge2-300x276.jpg 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Cross-the-Bridge2.jpg 396w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \"cross the bridge\" originates from before the 1800s. During this time, the crossing of bridges involved long journeys on foot or on horseback. Crossing a bridge exposed travelers to hijacking from highwaymen, as it created a chokepoint.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, it was a cause of worry for travelers. People in the caravan would talk in fear about the bridge, with the group's leader saying, \"we'll cross that bridge when we get to it,\" to calm the troops.<\/p>\n<p>The modern use of the phrase, including the conjunction, was first recorded in the work of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, \"The Golden Legend,\" published in 1851, where it reads as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"Don't cross the bridge till you come to it, is a proverb old and of excellent wit.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: Cross that bridge when you come to it! - English with Izz\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t1CSVWMvWIQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Cross the Bridge<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Chill out.<\/li>\n<li>We\u2019ll take care of it later.<\/li>\n<li>Clam down.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t worry about it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Cross the Bridge<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Leave it alone.<\/li>\n<li>Confront it head on.<\/li>\n<li>Worry about it now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Cross the bridge.<\/li>\n<li>Cross that bridge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Cross the Bridge Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase \u201ccross the bridge\u201d doesn\u2019t have anything to do with walking across bridges. The \u201cbridge\u201d in the saying is a problem or event. To \u201ccross\u201d the bridge means you\u2019ll tackle the problem. Using it to refer to crossing bridges is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Cross the Bridge<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrase \u201ccross the bridge\u201d when you want to tell people that there is no urgency to resolve a problem immediately. You can say, \u201cwe\u2019ll cross that bridge when we get there,\u201d to tell someone to focus on the current situation, not the future. It\u2019s like saying, \u201cwhat will be will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase suits social and professional situations. You could tell your employees to stop stressing about how to handle a client and tell them you\u2019ll cross that bridge when it gets here. You could tell your family to stop worrying about where to go for dinner on your birthday, and you\u2019ll cross that bridge when you get there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Is your friend scared about an upcoming event? You could tell them to calm down, and you\u2019ll cross that bridge when you get to it. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201ccross the bridge\u201d means to delay worrying about events that might not occur. It means you\u2019ll deal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10516"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10516"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10520,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10516\/revisions\/10520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}