pump the brakes
Hold your horses
Pump the brakes means to slow down or ease up, especially when someone is moving too fast or getting too intense about something.
The phrase comes from the old driving technique of repeatedly pressing brakes to prevent locking up on slippery roads.
Now it's almost always figurative—a way of telling someone to calm down or reconsider: Pump the brakes, we haven't even discussed the budget yet.
- slow downReduce pace or speed
- stopCease all motion
- haltComplete sudden stop
- cautionCareful attention to risk
- hesitatePause in uncertainty
ease up · ease off · slow your roll · hold back · cool it · cool your jets · wait · pedal · decelerate · pause · take a step back · reconsider · think twice · second thoughts · chill · relax · take it easy · warning
- travel idiomshit the road, in the same boat, miss the boat, end of the road, crossroads
- car talkpedal to the metal, hit the gas, step on it, floor it, burn rubber
- interjectionsah, hey, aha, sheesh, oh
pump the brakesstep on it
Urging someone to hurry
floor it · hit the gas · put the pedal to the metal · step on the gas · hit the accelerator
pump the brakesgo all in
Wager everything available
dive in · jump in with both feet · go for it · double down · lean in
pump the brakeslet it rip
let loose · go wild · throw caution to the wind · damn the torpedoes · cut loose
pump, pumps, pumped, pumping, brake, brakes, braked, braking