What does the saying hold your horses mean?

old-fashioned informal. used to tell someone to stop and consider carefully their decision or opinion about something: Just hold your horses, Bill! Let's think about this for a moment.

How did the term hold your horses come from?

Literal meaning: comes from the 17th century, when someone broke a law they would trample them with horses. The person in charge would say "Hold your horses" and then would tie the lawbreaker onto a piece of wood and lay him on the ground. Then the horses would come and trample him.

Is hold your horses a southern saying?

A Southerner will say "hold your horses" if things are going too fast. In a Southern home, "hold your horses" is used when someone is being impatient. In other words, the idiom means "wait" or "hang on a minute." The words originally had a literal meaning, which was used to command horses to slow down.

What does the idiom hold your horses mean for kids?

Wait a moment or be patient (often because you are moving too quickly or thoughtlessly). Whoa, hold your horses, kids.

What is hold your horses an example of?

The idiom is often used to tell someone to wait and think about something before taking action. This idiom is most commonly used as a command but can be used in any verb tense form.

Hold Your Horses: Meaning of Expression

What does ants in my pants mean?

1. Be extremely restless, uneasy, impatient, or anxious, as in This child just can't sit still; she must have ants in her pants. This rhyming idiom calls up a vivid image of what might cause one to be jumpy. [

How do Southerners say pretty?

What does fish out of water mean?

A person away from his or her usual environment or activities. For example, Using a computer for the first time, Carl felt like a fish out of water, or On a hiking trail, Nell was a fish out of water. This expression alludes to the fact that fish cannot survive for long on dry land. [ Late 1300s]

What is the most Southern thing to say?

What does it mean to bite someone's head off?

Definition of bite someone's head off

informal. : to yell at someone or to be very critical of someone especially very suddenly and without a good reason I asked him one simple question and he bit my head off.

What does believe one's eyes mean?

Definition of believe one's eyes/ears

—used in negative statements to indicate being surprised at or upset by something seen or heard I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw what he was wearing.

What type of clause is hold your horses?

Today, hold your horses is often used as an imperative, which is a verb that is used as a command or exhortation.

What does cat got your tongue?

The phrase 'Cat Got Your Tongue' is used to describe when someone is at a loss of words or being unusually quiet.

What's the origin of kick the bucket?

The term is known to date from at least the 16th century. The more interesting (and probably apochryphal) origin relates to suicides who would stand on a large bucket with noose around the neck and, at the moment of their choosing, would kick away the bucket.

What does have two left feet mean?

Definition of two left feet

—used to describe a person who dances badly My wife is a good dancer, but I've got two left feet.

What does a hard nut to crack mean?

Definition of a hard/tough nut (to crack)

: a person or thing that is difficult to deal with, understand, or influence The team's defense is a tough nut to crack. The problem is a hard nut to crack. He's a tough nut, but I think I can get him to agree to the contract.

What is the meaning of can't cut the mustard?

To cut the mustard is “to reach or surpass the desired standard or performance” or more generally “to succeed, to have the ability to do something.” For instance, Beyoncé really cut the mustard in her new song.

What's the meaning of bitter pill to swallow?

An unpleasant fact, disappointment, or humiliation that is difficult to endure. For example, Failing the bar exam was a bitter pill to swallow, but he plans to try again next year. [

What does he could eat corn through a picket fence mean?

“He could eat corn through a picket fence.”

This describes someone with an unfortunate set of buck teeth. They tend to stick up and outward, like a horse's teeth.

How do Southerners say sugar?

I should also note that we rarely use “r's.” Sugah for sugar, suppah for supper. We also don't pronounce “t's” and almost never use “g's” at the ending of words. Southerners say Adlanna for Atlanta. We also say puddin' and lookin'.

What does living in high cotton mean?

“They're living in high cotton,” – meaning their lives are pretty cushy and they're doing well. Or “I'm feeling low cotton today,” meaning I'm having a bad day. ( Leslie Criss – Tupelo Mississippi) It's not a coincidence that nature and agriculture figure so prominently in many southern idioms.

Is in the house meaning?

idiom. "In the house" is a slang expression used to announce someone's arrival. Often, the person who says it is announcing their own arrival.

Why are there ants in my plant?

Ants in a Houseplant

They are most likely not after your plant, but rather aphids, scales, or mealybugs – tiny insects that can harm your plant. Ants love feeding on honeydew, the sweet and nutritious excrement these insects produce, so they'll actually work to protect the pests from their natural enemies.

How do I get rid of ants in my pants?

Try white vinegar and water.

Ants really hate vinegar, and you can make a cheap, easy pesticide just using vinegar and water. Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray it directly onto the ants to kill them, then wipe up the ants using a damp paper towel and discard them.