English Dictionary

TAKE TIME BY THE FORELOCK

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

 Dictionary entry overview: What does take time by the forelock mean? 

TAKE TIME BY THE FORELOCK (verb)
  The verb TAKE TIME BY THE FORELOCK has 1 sense:

1. act quickly and decisively; not let slip an opportunityplay

  Familiarity information: TAKE TIME BY THE FORELOCK used as a verb is very rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


TAKE TIME BY THE FORELOCK (verb)


Sense 1

Meaning:

Act quickly and decisively; not let slip an opportunity

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "take time by the forelock" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s


 Context examples 


Now, sir, it's got to come to blows sooner or later, and what I propose is to take time by the forelock, as the saying is, and come to blows some fine day when they least expect it.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." (English proverb)

"Do not start your worldly life too late; do not start your religious life too early." (Bhutanese proverb)

"Luck in the sky and brains in the ground." (Arabic proverb)

"An idle man is up to no good." (Corsican proverb)



ALSO IN ENGLISH DICTIONARY:


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