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jump the gun |
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jump the gun Fig. to start before the starting signal. (Originally used in sports contests that are started by firing a gun.) We all had to start the race again because Jane jumped the gun. When we took the test, Tom jumped the gun and started early. jump the gun to do something too soon, especially without thinking carefully about it Usage notes: If someone running in a race jumps the gun, they start running before the gun has been fired to start the race. He shouted at me before I had time to explain, but later he apologised for jumping the gun. jump the gun to do something before it should be done We do not want to jump the gun by making a statement about what caused the explosion before the investigation is completed. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of jump the gun (to begin to run a race before the gun that signals the start has been shot) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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But before the drama behind that tension can be played out, the show's writers jump the gun and have Eddie shoot and kill a young thug during a convenience-store holdup- It would be a mistake to jump the gun now with changes," said Allan Zaremberg, president and chief executive of the California Chamber of Commerce. Males of other species also tend to jump the gun in the womb, he notes. |
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