The expression “Hold your horses” is an idiom that means to wait or to slow down. It’s a way of simply telling the person to be patient with you for a while.
It is called “Hold your horses” because the expression originates from horseback riding or driving a horse-drawn vehicle.
The rider holds hold of the reins and the ropes which are being used to slow down the horses and as well direct them.
When relating this action to a person, you’re saying that the person should slow down or hold on and give a second thought to what they are doing before completing their action.
“Hold your horses” could also mean that you’re trying to tell someone to stop and carefully consider or carefully think about the decision they’re about to take on something.
You’re asking the person to hold on and think about his action for a moment. If you’re being told to “hold your horses”, it simply means that you should wait or be patient before doing something.
You can use this expression when someone is putting pressure on you or forcing you to do something.
This expression is also an informal way of telling a person to calm down about something or a decision.
Some phrases similar to”Hold your horses” are, “Haste makes waste”, “Kick your heels”, and “Slow and steady wins the race”.
To know more about similar phrases, you can read further.
15 Phrases Similar to “Hold Your Horses”
- Haste makes waste
- Kick your heels
- Slow and steady wins the race
- Twiddle your thumbs
- Get a grip
- Hang in there
- Sit tight
- Put the brakes on
- Better safe than sorry
- Kill time
- Cool your jets
- Get your acts together
- Take it easy
- Take one’s time
- Back off
Haste Makes Waste
This is a similar phrase like “hold your horses” as it means that rushing things may lead to making mistakes. It also means that doing things in a hurry can lead to poor results.
By using this phrase, you’re simply letting a person know that when they do something too quickly, they can end up making mistakes.
This implies that moving too fast may lead to wasted effort. This can as well denote that rushing or being too quick to do things can result in costly mistakes.
It is a proverb that tells a person not to rush things even though they’re in a hurry. They should try to think things through before jumping to action.
Kick Your Heels
Another expression that looks like “hold your horses” is this one. It simply means that a person is trying to pass time while waiting for someone.
It’s an idiom used when a person is being forced to wait for a long period. It’s a way of saying someone is passing time and doing unimportant things.
This expression would mean wasting time waiting for a person or something. If you are kicking your heels or you’re being told to kick your heels, you’re simply waiting around and doing nothing.
Simply said, it indicates that someone is attempting to kill time while waiting for someone. It is an expression used when someone has waited for a prolonged amount of time.
It’s a way of indicating that someone is idly passing their time. To squander time waiting for someone or something is the meaning of this term. If you’re waiting about and doing nothing then you’re kicking your heels.
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
“Slow and steady wins the race” is an expression that we can say is similar to “hold your horses as it conveys almost the same meaning.
This expression means that consistent effort does lead to success. It means that your best result would come from gradual progress, not an intense effort.
Although the progress may be slow, it will eventually be more beneficial than being in a rush or doing things in a hurry.
The proverb suggests that you don’t have to be very fast or strong to achieve something, all you need is consistency. It means to have a good result, you need to be patient and have a careful plan.
Twiddle Your Thumbs
This phrase means to stay idle or be bored. It’s a figurative expression that means to have nothing to do. It means to delay something, wait, or hesitate.
This expression denotes boredom or idleness. It denotes waiting, hesitating, or delaying anything.
Get A Grip
This phrase means to recover one’s self-control. This expression is an effort to control your emotions and as well behave calmly.
It is used when a person acts calmly. When you get a grip on yourself, you’re making effort to have control over your behavior.
When you get a grip on something, it means you’re taking control of the situation so you can deal with it properly.
It means to have some kind of control over the things you do and how you act. It is applied when someone behaves peacefully.
You’re attempting to manage your conduct when you get a grip on yourself. Getting a grip on something refers to taking charge of the circumstance so you can respond to it appropriately.
It implies exerting some kind of control over your actions and behavior.
Hang In There
To “Hang in there” means to remain persistent in a certain situation. This expression is a way of informing someone not to give up on something but remains determined.
Despite the difficulties, you’re telling the person to bear whatever they’re facing. This phrase is a good way to extend your encouragement to someone.
It is a way to encourage someone especially a person going through some kind of difficulty or tough time.
You’re simply telling a person to continue to do something or put in more effort even though it’s may be challenging for them. It’s an encouragement for a person to be determined.
Sit Tight
The phrase means that someone should remain firm. A person should be in a place. It also means to stay put or remain in one place.
When you tell a person to sit tight, you’re telling them to stay in a place and not to take any action. This phrase is normally used when you’re waiting for something to take place or happen.
You’re simply telling the person to maintain a certain position or stand. It could also mean that you want the person to wait patiently and not act.
It is advised to see how difficult something is before considering taking any action.
Put The Brakes On
To “put the brakes on” means to slow down the progress of something. It means to stop the progress of someone. This expression means to stop something from happening.
The expression is used to stop someone’s progress or activities. It means to impede one’s activity. You’re simply causing someone to stop doing something or halt an activity.
To “put the brakes on” is to stop anything from moving forward. It implies halting someone’s advancement on a particular activity or to stop anything from happening.
The phrase is used to halt someone’s actions or development. It refers to interfering with one’s activity. You’re only causing someone to pause their action or stop doing anything.
Better Safe Than Sorry
It means being cautious is much better than being hasty. This implies that it’s wiser to act carefully than for you to be in a rush to do something.
It also suggests that you may end up regretting when something is done in a haste. This expression is similar to “hold your horses” as it means that you shouldn’t be in a rush to act.
It’s advice to be prepared so as not to end up making mistakes. For a person to be safe than sorry, they try to organize their activities ahead of time to avoid doing it in a haste later.
Kill Time
This expression suggests that someone spends time doing a particular thing while waiting. It implies that a person engages in something uninteresting while waiting for something else to be done.
It is mostly used when someone is trying to be busy with something or activity before another happens. It is another way to say “pass time”.
This statement implies that someone spends some time doing something specific while they wait. It suggests that a person spends their time doing something boring while they wait for something else to get done.
It is frequently employed when someone is attempting to keep occupied with one activity or something before another occurs.
Cool Your Jets
It is a similar phrase as it denotes that a person stays calm. It means that a person shouldn’t worry much but rather stay calm.
This expression is mostly used when a person is in a good mood or eager to carry out an activity. You’re simply telling the person to slow down or at least wait a minute.
“Cool your jets” is a phrase that tells one to relax, chill out or hold on. It can as well be used for someone angry or upset as you’re telling the person to be calm or to relax.
It’s an idiom that tells one to be less agitated about a certain thing. You’re as well saying that the person is less anxious or to control their excitement about something.
Get Your Acts Together
This phrase is also similar to the previous one. It means organizing yourself to do things orderly. You’re trying not to be disorganized to do things effectively.
It is also a way of telling someone to improve their attitude. You can use this phrase when you want a person to improve their performance concerning their work or life.
It is simply a way of telling someone to be organized in doing something. To “get your acts together” means to get control over your life and coordinate your activities to get things effectively done.
Take It Easy
This expression is very popular as it means to relax or make little effort. It means to be relaxed or calmly do things. It implies that a person should slow down or take a time off.
It is very similar to “Hold your horses”. When someone is going through a lot of stress, the best way to tell the person to hold their horses is by using this phrase.
This is because the phrase sounds funny and it is very casual to use. You want the person to chill out or loosen up.
Take One’s Time
This is another popular expression. By saying this you’re simply telling the person not to be in a hurry.
You want the person to kill time and do things with ease. When you tell someone to take their time, you’re simply telling them that they can spend as much time as they need to do something. you’re giving the person a go-ahead to slow down with his work or any activity.
It means the person is free to slowly, carefully, and at their own pace. It is also quite similar to the phrase “Hold your horses”.
Back Off
It means to tell someone to refrain from doing something. It also means to draw back from a particular action.
You’re telling someone not to be involved in a certain situation. It’s an alternative way of telling someone to stop interfering. You’re telling someone to stop annoying you.
Wrapping Up
From the beginning of the phrase, we’ve said that “hold your horses” meaning that a person should hold on or slow down at taking a particular action.
It means you should be patient and think about your actions for a moment. The article has also examined some phrases that look like “hold your horses” i.e these phrases are similar in meaning with it.
Some are popular phrases while others are not.