Meaning: To do something too soon or before you should.

Examples:

Don’t jump the gun and say “I love you” on the first date.

I shouldn’t have bought the plane tickets before asking my boss if I could take some vacation time. I jumped the gun.

If you jump the gun, you may do it incorrectly. Read the directions first.

Pop Quiz:

“Don’t jump the gun” has a similar meaning to…

A.  Hold your horses.

B.  Don’t kill two birds with one stone.

C.  Don’t let the cat out of the bag.

To see the correct answer, click on “Continue reading”:

The correct answer is A. To hold your horses means to wait, so if someone says “Don’t jump the gun,” they’re telling you to wait.