What does ‘hold your horses’ mean?
To “hold your horses” means to wait, slow down, be patient. A 19th-century American idiom from actual horse-driving; it is not in Brewer's 1898. It became widespread in the mid-1800s.
Origin
- A 19th-century American idiom from actual horse-driving; it is not in Brewer's 1898. It became widespread in the mid-1800s.
How to use it
- Informal way to tell someone to pause before acting or speaking.
- Example: Hold your horses — I haven't finished explaining yet.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.