: To take a premature or ill-considered action.
Etymology:
- From the days of flintlock and caplock firearms, where the half-cock position of the hammer was both a rudimentary safety, and the proper position for priming the pan or inserting a percussion cap. The phrase was originally rendered, "to go off at half-cock."
- 11 Views
“
Make sure none of your men go off half-cocked and ruin this operation.
Submitted on July 10, 2018
Additional definitions for 'go off half-cocked':
| go off half-cocked | To take a premature or ill-considered action. |
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"go off half-cocked." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/go-off-half-cocked_25759>.
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