cross that bridge when (one) comes to it
(redirected from I'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it)cross that bridge when (one) comes to it
To address something only when it actually happens or becomes an issue. A: "Should we reach out to our distributors and let them know there may be a problem down the line?" B: "No, let's just cross that bridge when we get there." The job interview is a week away, so I'm not worried about it yet—I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cross that bridge when one comes to it
Fig. to delay worrying about something that might happen until it actually does happen. (Usually used in the phrase, "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," a way of telling someone not to worry about something that has not happened yet. Alan: Where will we stop tonight? Jane: At the next town. Alan: What if all the hotels are full? Jane: Let's cross that bridge when we come to it.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cross a bridge when one comes to it
Also, cross that bridge when you come to it. Deal with a situation when, and not before, it occurs. For example, If we can't sell the house-well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The ultimate origin of this proverb, a caution not to anticipate trouble and often put as don't cross a bridge till you come to it, has been lost. The earliest recorded use is in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Golden Legend (1851): "Don't cross the bridge till you come to it, is a proverb old and of excellent wit."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
cross that bridge when you come to it
If you say I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, you mean that you will deal with a problem if it happens. `You can't make me talk to you.' — `No, but the police can.' — `I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' Note: You can also say things like I haven't crossed that bridge yet or there are still some bridges to cross when you have not yet dealt with a particular problem. We have not crossed that bridge yet. We are trying to get the criminal case dealt with. There are still a few bridges to cross.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
cross that bridge when you come to it
deal with a problem when and if it arises. 1998 Spectator As to what would happen to the case for non-proliferation when the Cold War was won, the allies would cross that bridge when they came to it, which seemed at the time well beyond any foreseeable future.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
cross a ˌbridge when you ˈcome to it
,cross your ˌbridges when you ˈcome to them
deal with a problem only when it happens and not worry about it before then: ‘What will you do if you can’t afford to run your car next year?’ ‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
cross that bridge when you come to it
Hold off making a decision until it is necessary; don’t anticipate trouble until it actually occurs. “Don’t cross the bridge till you come to it, is a proverb old and of excellent wit,” said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Golden Legend, 1851), and eighty years later that witty playwright Noël Coward said, “I don’t believe in crying over my bridge before I’ve eaten it” (Private Lives, 1930). The ultimate origins of the term have been lost.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer