go off half-cocked
See also: go off halfcocked
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom the days of flintlock and caplock firearms, where the half-cock position of the hammer was both a rudimentary safety, and the proper position for priming the pan or inserting a percussion cap. The phrase was originally rendered, "to go off at half-cock."
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
editgo off half-cocked (third-person singular simple present goes off half-cocked, present participle going off half-cocked, simple past went off half-cocked, past participle gone off half-cocked)
- (idiomatic, colloquial): To take a premature or ill-considered action.
- Make sure none of your men go off half-cocked and ruin this operation.
See also
editReferences
edit- “halfcock”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.