hold your horses

hold your horses

Wait a moment or be patient (often because you are moving too quickly or thoughtlessly). Whoa, hold your horses, kids. We're going to sing before we start eating cake. I know you're excited to see the prototype, but you all just need to hold your horses while we get set up.

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Hold your horses!

 and Hold your tater!

Fig. Inf. Wait! Tom: Let's go! Let's go! Mary: Hold your horses. Hold your tater, now. Where did you say you are going?

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hold one's horses

Slow down, be patient, as in Dad told Kevin to hold his horses on Christmas shopping, since it was only July, or Hold your horses, I'm coming. This expression alludes to a driver making horses wait by holding the reins tightly. [Slang; c. 1840]

See also: hold, horse

hold your horses

SPOKEN

If you say hold your horses, you are telling someone to stop doing or saying something for a moment because they have not thought enough about it. Hold your horses a minute, will you, and just take another look at this document.

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hold your horses

wait a moment; restrain your enthusiasm. informal

1999 Colin Dexter The Remorseful Day Hold your horses! One or two things I'd like you to check first, just to make it one hundred per cent.

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hold your ˈhorses

(informal) used for asking somebody to stop for a moment, speak more slowly, etc: Hold your horses! We haven’t finished the last question yet.

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hold (one's) horses

To restrain oneself.

See also: hold, horse