# What does ‘strike while the iron is hot’ mean?

To “strike while the iron is hot” means to act promptly while the opportunity lasts. Brewer's records the proverb, drawn from the blacksmith's craft, from at least Chaucer's time in the 14th century.

## What it means

- Brewer's records the proverb, drawn from the blacksmith's craft, from at least Chaucer's time in the 14th century.

## Action steps

1. Standard advice to move fast on an opportunity.
2. Example: The offer expires Friday — strike while the iron is hot.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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