Meaning: accessory before the fact

n.
a person who procures or advises or commands the commission of a felony but who is not present at its perpetration

fore Idiom, Proverb

a foregone conclusion

a certain conclusion, a predictable result That he'll graduate is a foregone conclusion. He is a good student.

age before beauty

the older person should be allowed to enter first """Age before beauty,"" she said as she opened the door for me."

before long

soon.

calm before the storm

(See the calm before the storm)

can't see the forest for the trees

I am so close that I cannot see the whole picture or the big picture I'm so involved in teaching that I've lost my view of education. I can't see the forest for the trees.

cart before the horse

(See the cart before the horse)

cast pearls before swine

waste something on someone who won

count your chickens before they hatch

depend heavily on plans, spend money that you have not received "Politicians have learned not to ""count their chickens"" before the election."

don't count your chickens before they hatch

do not expect all plans to be successful, wait until you get the final results """Look at the sales I'm going to make this month - over 50!"" ""Don't count your chickens... ."""

first and foremost

first and most important, firstly "The speaker began by saying, ""First and foremost... ."""

foregone conclusion

(See a foregone conclusion)

forever and a day

for a long time, for an eternity This treaty will last forever - forever and a day.

morning after (the night before)

a hangover He

pride goeth before a fall

you lose self-respect before you do an evil deed Is this saying in the Bible? Pride goeth before a fall.

put the cart before the horse

do things in the wrong order I think that he is putting the cart before the horse by talking about fixing up the house before he even buys it.

the calm before the storm

the quiet time just before anger or an attack The enemy is planning an attack. This is the calm before the storm.

the cart before the horse

backwards, back to front Having dessert before dinner is putting the cart before the horse.

foreign to

not belonging to or suitable for；
unconnected with非…所有的；不适于；与…无关的
Sitting still all day is foreign to a healthy boy's nature．终日静坐不符合健康男孩的性格。
Your argument is foreign to the question．你的争论与题无关。
Your idea is completely foreign to my principle．你的意见一点也不适合我的原则。

whys and wherefores

the answer to a question or problem理由；解释
He doesn't like to follow blindly but always goes into the whys and wherefores of everything．凡事他不喜欢盲从，总是追根究底。

whys and wherefores of

Idiom(s): whys and wherefores of sth

Theme: CAUSES

the reasons or causes relating to something.
• I refuse to discuss the whys and wherefores of my decision. It's final.
• Bob doesn't know the whys and wherefores of his contract. He just knows that it means he will get a lot of money when he finishes the work.

think twice before

Idiom(s): think twice (before doing sth)

Theme: CONSIDER

to consider carefully whether one should do something; to be cautious about doing something.
• You should think twice before quitting your job.
• That's a serious decision, and you should certainly think twice.

Pride goes before a fall

Idiom(s): Pride goes before a fall

Theme: ARROGANCE

a saying meaning that someone who behaves in an arrogant or vain way is likely to suffer misfortune. (From the Bible.)
• Bert was so busy admiring his reflection in a shop window that he stepped in a puddle. Pride goes before a fall.
• Jean was boasting about how well she thought she'd done on her final exams, but she failed them all. You know what they say. Pride goes before a fall.

not to cross a bridge before one comes to it

Idiom(s): not to cross a bridge before one comes to it

Theme: ANXIETY - ANTICIPATION

not to worry excessively about something before it happens. (Note the variations in the examples.)
• There is no sense in crossing that bridge before you come to it.
• She's always crossing bridges before coming to them. She needs to learn to relax.

not able to see the forest for the trees

Idiom(s): not able to see the forest for the trees

Theme: PERCEPTION

allowing many details of a problem to obscure the problem as a whole. (Not able to is often expressed as can't.)
• The solution is obvious. You missed it because you can't see the forest for the trees.
• She suddenly realized that she hadn't been able to see the forest for the trees.

morning after the night before

Idiom(s): morning after (the night before)

Theme: HANGOVER

the morning after a night spent drinking, when one has a hangover.
• Oh, I've got a headache. Talk about the morning after the night before!
• It looked like a case of the morning after the night before, and Frank asked for some aspirin.

lost and gone forever

Idiom(s): lost and gone forever

Theme: LOSS

lost; permanently lost. (Fixed order.)
• My poor doggy is lost and gone forever.
• My money fell out of my pocket and I am sure that it is lost and gone forever.

forever and ever

Idiom(s): forever and ever

Theme: TIME - DURATION

forever. (Fixed order.)
• I will love you forever and ever.
• This car wont keep running forever and ever. Well have to get a new one sometime.
• We have enough money to last forever and a day.

cry before one is hurt

Idiom(s): cry before one is hurt

Theme: COMPLAINT

to cry or complain before one is injured.
• Bill always cries before he's hurt.
• There is no point in crying before one is hurt.

count one's chickens before they hatch

Idiom(s): count one's chickens before they hatch

Theme: COUNTING

to plan how to utilize good results of something before those results have occurred. (Frequently used in the negative.)
• You're way ahead of yourself Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
• You may be disappointed if you count your chickens before they hatch.

come to the fore

Idiom(s): come to the fore

Theme: APPEARANCE - EVIDENCE

to become prominent; to become important.
• The question of salary has now come to the fore.
• Since his great showing in court, my lawyer has really come to the fore in city politics.

cast one's pearls before swine

Idiom(s): cast (one's) pearls before swine

Theme: WASTE

to waste something good on someone who doesn't care about it. (From a biblical quotation.)
• To sing for them is to cast pearls before swine.
• To serve them French cuisine is like casting one's pearls before swine.

before you know it

Idiom(s): before you know it

Theme: SOON

almost immediately.
• I'll be there before you know it.
• If you keep spending money like that, you'll be broke before you know it.

before you can say Jack Robinson

Idiom(s): before you can say Jack Robinson

Theme: SOON

almost immediately. (Often found in children's stories.)
• And before you could say Jack Robinson, the bird flew away.
• I'll catch a plane and be there before you can say Jack Robinson.

A fool at forty is a fool forever.

If a person hasn't matured by the age of 40, they never will.

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

You must not be too confident that something will be successful.

Every why has a wherefore.

There is an explanation for everything.

It is always darkest before the dawn

The most difficult time is just before a problem is solved.

Learn to walk before you run.

Don't rush into doing something until you know how to do it.

Look before you leap.

Consider possible consequences before taking action.

Pride comes before a fall.

Don't be too self-confident or proud; something may happen to make you look foolish.

A fool at 40 is a fool forever

If someone hasn't matured by the time they reach forty, they never will.

At the fore

In a leading position

Before the ink is dry

If people make an agreement or contract and then the situation changes very quickly, it changes before the ink is dry.

Can't see the forest for its trees

If someone can't see the forest for its trees, they are too focused on specific details to see the picture as a whole.

Don't catch your chickens before they're hatched

This means that you should wait until you know whether something has produced the results you desire, rather than acting beforehand. ('Don't count your chickens until they've hatched' is an alternative.)

Forest for the trees

(USA) If someone can't see the forest for the trees, they get so caught up in small details that they fail to understand the bigger picture.

Look before you leap

This idiom means that you should think carefully about the possible results or consequences before doing something.

Put the carriage before the horse

If you put the carriage before the horse, you try to do things in the wrong order.

Putting the cart before the horse

When you put the cart before the horse, you are doing something the wrong way round.

Quiet before the Storm

When you know that something is about to go horribly wrong, but hasn't just yet, then you are in the quiet before the storm.