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Phrase(s): Look before you leap.
Prov. Cliché Think carefully about what you are about to do before you do it. • I’m not saying you shouldn’t sign the lease for that apartment. I’m just saying you should look before you leap. • Jill: I’m thinking about going to night school. Jane: Are you sure you can spare the time and the money? Look before you leap.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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Think of the consequences before you act, as in You'd better check out all the costs before you buy a cellular phone? look before you leap. This expression alludes to Aesop's fable about the fox who is unable to climb out of a well and persuades a goat to jump in. The fox then climbs on the goat's horns to get out, while the goat remains trapped. [c. 1350]
American Heritage Idioms