look before you leap

look before you leap

Carefully consider the possible consequences before taking action. If you deceive your boss now, what do you think will happen if he finds out about it? I mean, look before you leap!

See also: before, leap, look

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Look before you leap.

Prov. Cliché Think carefully about what you are about to do before you do it. I'm not saying you shouldn't sign the lease for that apartment. I'm just saying you should look before you leap. Jill: I'm thinking about going to night school. Jane: Are you sure you can spare the time and the money? Look before you leap.

See also: before, leap, look

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

look before you leap

Think of the consequences before you act, as in You'd better check out all the costs before you buy a cellular phone-look before you leap . This expression alludes to Aesop's fable about the fox who is unable to climb out of a well and persuades a goat to jump in. The fox then climbs on the goat's horns to get out, while the goat remains trapped. [c. 1350]

See also: before, leap, look

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.

look before you leap

you shouldn't act without first considering the possible consequences or dangers. proverb

See also: before, leap, look

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

ˌlook before you ˈleap

(saying) think carefully about the possible risks and effects before you decide to do something: I know you don’t like this job but don’t just accept the first job offered to you. Remember to look before you leap.

See also: before, leap, look

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

look before you leap

Consider the consequences before you act. This ancient adage, like so many others, has its roots in one of Aesop’s fables. The fox, unable to climb out of a well into which he fell, persuades the goat to jump in, too. He then climbs out by standing on the goat’s shoulders, leaving the goat in the well. “First loke and aftirward lepe” appeared in the Douce MS of about 1350. Charlotte Brontë used it ironically (for her time) in Shirley (1849): “When you feel tempted to marry . . . look twice before you leap.”

See also: before, leap, look

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer