ProverbWisdom
American origin1851
American origin1851Cross that bridge when you come to it
Meaning: Deal with problems only when they arise.
Origin: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow put it into verse in The Golden Legend (1851), and called it old already: "Don't cross the bridge till you come to it, / Is a proverb old, and of excellent wit." The advice is against worrying about problems that may never arrive.
Equivalents in French, Japanese, and German
French: Chaque chose en son temps (literally: Each thing in its time)
Japanese: その時はその時 (Sono toki wa sono toki) (literally: That time is that time)
German: Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat (literally: When time comes, counsel comes)
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- jemandem einen Bären aufbinden To tell someone a deliberate lie or deceptive story for amusement or manipulation.
- in den sauren Apfel beißen To accept an unpleasant necessity or disagreeable situation with resignation and stoicism.
- mit jemandem Katz und Maus spielen To tease or toy with someone's emotions, alternating between kind and cruel treatment for…
Keep exploring