To carry out something in reverse order, to do opposite of something

Etymology:

  • This is quite popular idiom which has been used in Greece and Rome. Some great writers like Shakespeare also used it. The correct order for horse and cart is such that horse comes in front followed by cart. Just imagine if you place cart first and horse behind it, which is surely very difficult. In the same way if you do something in reverse order or confused things up, then you pull the cart before the horse.
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The guest children have tasted the dessert first; they have just put the cart before the horse.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'Put the Cart before the Horse':

put the cart before the horseTo put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities.
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    "Put the Cart before the Horse." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/put-the-cart-before-the-horse_44960>.

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