The phrase “putting the horse before the cart” means roughly to reverse the significance of two things in relation to each other.
But what does it mean literally? Say I have a horse and a cart. What would I be doing if I was putting the horse before the cart?
No, no—the phrase is “putting the cart before the horse.” Which means doing things ass-backwards: A cart hitched up in front of the horse won’t go anywhere.
That makes sense, but I see it the other way around all the time.
Is it just ironic, or ignorant, or is there some other meaning of ‘putting before?’
Mostly just ignorant, sloppy use of language as putting the horse before the cart is exactly what you’re supposed to do with a horse and a cart.
You see this sort of thing all the time. For instance:
“I could care less.” --> Supposed to mean you don’t care at all --> Actually means you do care at least a little since you are capable of caring less.
“I couldn’t care less.” --> What most people actually meant to say and does mean you don’t care as the ability to actually care even less doesn’t exist for you.
“It’s a mute point.” --> Supposed to mean a point that is obsolete or has no significance. --> Actually means a silent point
“It’s a moot point.” --> What is usually meant but people don’t know their own language.
I sometimes see “putting the horse before the cart” but only in the context that it is doing things in the proper order. In other words, one is NOT “putting the cart before the horse.”
People who prefer “I think, therefore I exist” to “I shall not wholly die” are putting Descartes before Horace.
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
I once heard of somebody designing a horse and wagon that worked that way around, but it was just an equine canard.
Yer outta here!!
Quality, pure quality.
Seems that for every saying like that, there’s a dedicated team of nutcases determined to prove it wrong; I bet that right now, there are people out there trying to live on bread alone, trying to make omlettes without breaking eggs, trying to please all of the people all of the time…
Tell me about it. I just had to sit through someone rant about others “wrecking” havoc.
Cecil has tackled that one.
Both “cart before horse” and “horse before cart” are frequently used correctly – the first meaning doing something the wrong way, and the second meaning doing it according to proper procedure. Of course there are also people who mix them up and use them incorrectly.
Moot /mute point, and “wrecking” havoc, yes, these are annoying.
But “I could care less” DOES make sense, especially when spoken - the idea is that you speak it with emphasis on the “could” so as to make it sarcastic - “I COULD care less”, implying that the topic I could care less about is something like the bus schedules in Timbuktu. Quite possibly, the intended inflection is getting lost.
And I think Mangetout took me seriously - look up all meanings of “canard”.
Somebody ban Dexter Haven, ok?
I once sat through a grad seminar report by a person who kept saying ‘antidote’ instead of ‘anecdote.’
Naw, let’s just Horacewhip him!
And then run him out of town on Descartes…
Hume Kant Locke Descartes.
C K Dexter Haven: That one really hurt. But I see others have berated you enough. Mind if I steal it? 