before

About time too!

something that you say when someone tells you about something which has happened, in order to show that you think it should have happened a long time ago. 'They're widening the road outside the school.' 'About time too!'

See also: about, time

be before your time

if something was before your time, it happened before you were born or before you were involved with a person or thing. 'Do you remember the Watergate scandal?' 'No, that was before my time.'

See also: time

before someone could blink

very quickly or suddenly. Before you could blink, he'd grabbed the purse and was halfway down the street.

See also: blink, could

before someone knows what hit them

not know what hit you - to feel very shocked and confused because something, usually something bad, happens to you suddenly when you were not expecting it. We'll break down the door and have the handcuffs on them before they know what's hit them.

See also: hit, know

before you can say Jack Robinson (old-fashioned)

if you say that something happens before you can say Jack Robinson, it happens very suddenly. I offered her a chocolate but before you could say Jack Robinson she'd eaten half the box.

See also: can, jack, Robinson, say

the calm before the storm

a peaceful and quiet period before a period of activity or trouble. The family are arriving this afternoon so I'm just sitting down with a cup of coffee, enjoying the calm before the storm.

See also: storm

cast pearls before swine (literary)

to offer something valuable to someone who does not understand that it is valuable. Giving him advice is just casting pearls before swine. He doesn't listen.

See also: cast, pearl

The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

something that you say which means a bad situation often seems worse just before it improves. There's still a chance she might recover. The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

See also: dark, dawn, hour, just

Look before you leap.

something that you say in order to advise someone to think about possible problems before doing something. If you're thinking of buying a house, my advice is, look before you leap.

See also: leap, look

Pride comes before a fall. (British & Australian, American)

something that you say which means if you are too confident about yourself, something bad will happen to show you that you are not as good as you think you are. Just because you did well in your exams doesn't mean you can stop working. Pride comes before a fall.

See also: come, fall, pride

put the cart before the horse

to do things in the wrong order. Deciding what to wear before you've even been invited to the party is rather putting the cart before the horse, isn't it?

See also: cart, horse

run before you can walk

to try to do something complicated and difficult before you have learned the basic skills you need to attempt it. I think you should stick to a simple menu for your dinner party. There's no point trying to run before you can walk.

See also: can, run, walk

would see someone in hell before you would do something

if you say that you would see someone in hell before you would do something, especially something that they have asked you to do, you mean that you would never do that thing. I'd see her in hell before I'd agree to an arrangement like that.

See also: hell, see

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before last

before the most recent. The year before last, we moved to the farm.

Usage notes: used with periods of time, such as the day, the night, the week, the month, the year

See also: last

before long

soon. I think we'll be finished with this before long.

See also: long

before your time

during a period when you were not active or alive. I don't know how old the bridge is, but I know it was built well before my time.

See also: time

before you can say something

surprisingly quickly. This bow shoots so fast, the arrow is in the target before you can say “gee whiz!”

Usage notes: often the word or phrase that follows before you can say is related to the situation you are talking about: In summer, food goes bad before you can say “heat wave!”

Etymology: an older form of this expression is before you can say Jack Robinson

See also: can, say

before you know it

surprisingly quickly. I saw a rabbit in the field, but it was gone before I knew it.

See also: know

the calm before the storm

a quiet period immediately before a period of great activity or trouble. For most teachers, the days just before the school year begins are the calm before the storm.

See also: storm

(put) the cart before the horse

to do something that should happen later before other things. Barnhart is putting the cart before the horse by building a stadium before a team has agreed to play there.

See also: cart, horse

the lull before the storm

the calm before the storm

See also: lull, storm

see someone in hell before doing something

to never do something. I'll see you in hell before I'll answer your questions.

See also: hell, see