IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchMettre la charrue avant les bœufs
Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
Literally: To put the plow before the oxen
Example: “Choisir la couleur des rideaux avant d'avoir acheté la maison, c'est mettre la charrue avant les bœufs.” — Choosing curtain colors before buying the house is putting the cart before the horse.
English equivalent: To put the cart before the horse
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: colocar o carro à frente dos bois Literally: To put the cart in front of the oxen
English: put the cart before the horse
Origin: Oxen pull the plow, so putting the plow in front of them gets the order exactly backward. The Académie française recorded the older form, mettre la charrue devant les bœufs, in 1762, for doing something backward and against the proper order. English puts the cart before the horse.
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