put the cart before the horse

Meaning: (idiomatic)To put things in thewrongorderor with the wrongpriorities; to put somethinginconsequentialas more important than something moreessential.1898,Julian Hawthorne, chapter 1, inThe History of the United States:The hour had struck; and with it, as always, appeared the man. So it has ever been in the history of the world; though we, with characteristic vanity, uniformlyput the cart before the horse, and declare that it is the man that brings the hour.1957December 2, “Corruption of the Mind”, inTime:To attempt to remove the armaments before removing these substantive conflicts of interest is toput the cart before the horse.1979December 8, Dick Bowring, quoting Elizabeth Hjeltness, “HATS Helps Gay Alcoholics”, inGay Community News, volume 7, number20, page11:Saying, as some people do, "If I could get these other problems straightened out, then the drinking would take care of itself" isputting the cart before the horse. You can't deal with emotions like love and hate and rage when you're numbing yourself with chemicals.2005July 27, David D. Kirkpatrick, “Timing of Hearings and Vote Stalls Confirmation Talks”, inNew York Times, retrieved 6 Nov. 2008:Mr. Schumer said that the idea of agreeing to a date for a vote before the committee had held hearings was "to put the cart before horse."

Examples:

EN: But you've put the cart before the horse.
ES: ¡Pero has empezado la casa por el tejado!
EN: He's not the first man to put the cart before the horse, but three carts and no horse?
ES: Él no es el primer hombre que pone el carro antes que el caballo pero, ¿tres carros y ningún caballo?
EN: Never put the cart before the horse.
ES: No empecemos la casa por el tejado.
EN: - We mustn't put the cart before the horse.
ES: - No debemos poner el carro delante del caballo.
EN: Let's not put the cart before the horse here with that stuff.
ES: Hablar de esto es poner el carro delante del caballo.
EN: It goes: Don't put the cart before the horse.
ES: Se dice una gallina con un cuchillo.
EN: I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but there's definitely something there. Yeah.
ES: Sí.
EN: You put the cart before the horse.
ES: Has puesto el carro delante del caballo.
EN: Do not put the cart before the horse.
ES: No ponga el carro delante del caballo.
ES: Esto nos evitará... tener los dos pies en el mismo zapato.
EN: Well, maybe... I put the cart before the horse.
ES: Bueno, tal vez... me precipité un poco.
EN: Don't put the cart before the horse.
ES: No pongas el carro delante del caballo.
ES: No vendas la leche antes de ordeñar la vaca.
EN: Do not put the cart before the horse!
ES: ¡No ponga el carro delante del burro!
EN: Genius is the ability to put the cart before the horse and make them both run.
ES: Ser un genio es tener la habilidad de poner la carreta delante del caballo y hacer que ambos avancen.
EN: You're trying to put the cart before the horse.
ES: ¿No sabes el orden de las cosas?
EN: I think I've put the cart before the horse.
ES: Creo que he puesto el carro antes que los bueyes.

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