泥棒を捕らえて縄を綯う

Japanese
Kanji in this term
泥 棒 捕 縄 綯
どろ
Grade: S		 ぼう
Grade: 6		 と
Grade: S		 なわ
Grade: 4		 な
Hyōgaiji
kun’yomi on’yomi kun’yomi
Alternative spellings
泥棒を捕らえて繩を綯う (kyūjitai)
泥棒を捕らえて縄をなう

Etymology

Phrase consisting of 泥棒 (dorobō, “thief”) + を (o, object particle) + 捕らえて (toraete, conjunctive form of 捕らえる (toraeru, “to capture”)) + 縄 (nawa, “rope”) + を (o, object particle) + 綯う (nau, “to plait, to twist together”).[1]

Literally, “capture a thief, and then plait the rope.” Compare English put the cart before the horse.

Phrase

泥(どろ)棒(ぼう)を捕(と)らえて縄(なわ)を綯(な)う • (dorobō o toraete nawa o nau) 

  1. (figurative, idiomatic) to make one's preparations after events have already begun: to put the cart before the horse, to start something in the eleventh hour

Synonyms
  • 盗人(ぬすびと)を捕(と)らえて縄(なわ)を綯(な)う (nusubito o toraete nawa o nau)

See also
  • 泥縄(どろなわ) (doronawa)
  • 泥縄式(どろなわしき) (doronawashiki)

References
  1. “泥棒を捕らえて縄を綯う”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
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