泥棒を捕らえて縄を綯う

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
どろ
Grade: S
ぼう
Grade: 6

Grade: S
なわ
Grade: 4

Hyōgai
kun'yomi on'yomi kun'yomi
Alternative spellings
泥棒を捕らえて繩を綯う (kyūjitai)
泥棒を捕らえて縄をなう

Etymology

Phrase consisting of 泥棒 (dorobō, thief) + (o, object particle) + 捕らえて (toraete, conjunctive form of 捕らえる (toraeru, to capture)) + (nawa, rope) + (o, object particle) + 綯う (nau, to plait, to twist together).[1]

Literally, “capture a thief, and then plait the rope.” Compare English put the cart before the horse.

Phrase

(どろ)(ぼう)()らえて(なわ)() (dorobō o toraete nawa o nau

  1. (figurative, idiomatic) to make one's preparations after events have already begun: to put the cart before the horse, to start something in the eleventh hour

Synonyms

See also

References

  1. ^ 泥棒を捕らえて縄を綯う”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months