threw to the winds
Cast off carelessly
To throw something to the winds is to abandon it recklessly or cast it aside without concern for consequences.
Caution, restraint, and good sense are the things most commonly thrown to the winds: She threw caution to the winds and quit her job without a plan.
The image suggests releasing something to be scattered and lost forever.
- cast asideReject or discard
- toss outDispose of something
- cast offRelease or discard
- leave behindDepart without taking
- relinquishVoluntarily give up control
discard · let go · give up the ghost · recklessness · forsake · jettison · devil may care · spontaneity · impulsiveness · renounce · nonchalance · indifference · heedlessness · cut loose · surrender · vacate · freedom · leave to chance
threw to the windscarefully considered
thought through · pondered · mulled over · heeded · calculated
threw to the windsheld back
Kept from advancing
played it safe · erred on the side of caution · hedged one's bets · reined in · tempered
throw, threw, thrown, throws, throwing, thrower, throwers, overthrow, overthrown