The expression ''cart before the horse'' is an idiom or

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

used to suggest something is done contrary to the natural or normally effective sequence of events. A cart is a vehicle that is ordinarily pulled by a horse, so to put the cart before the horse is an analogy for doing things in the wrong order. The figure of speech means doing things the wrong way round or with the wrong emphasis or confusing cause and effect. A_horse_pushing_a_cart

The meaning of the phrase is based on the

common knowledge Common knowledge is knowledge that is publicly known by everyone or nearly everyone, usually with reference to the community in which the knowledge is referenced. Common knowledge can be about a broad range of subjects, such as science, literat ...

that a horse usually pulls a cart, despite rare examples of vehicles pushed by horses in 19th-century Germany and early 20th-century France. The earliest recorded use of the proverb was in the early 16th century. It was a figure of speech in the Renaissance.Adamson, Sylvia ''et al.'' (2007)
''Renaissance Figures of Speech,'' p. 133
A variant of the proverb is used by William Shakespeare in ''King Lear'' Act I, scene iv, line 230: "May not an ass know when the cart draws the horse?"

References

{{reflist English-language idioms Metaphors referring to horses Metaphors referring to objects

See also

References