count your chickens

count your chickens

To make plans based on future events that might not happen. A shortened form of the phrase "count your chickens before they're hatched." Often used in the negative. When my mom heard that I was preparing my campaign before even being nominated, she warned me, "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched." Why are you begging to drive my car to school tomorrow when you still need to take your license test in the morning? Don't count your chickens, babe!
See also: chicken, count
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

count your chickens

treat something that has not yet happened as a certainty. informal
This phrase refers to the proverb don't count your chickens before they're hatched .
See also: chicken, count
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • don't count your chickens
  • not count your chickens
  • (Is there) anything else?
  • (will there be) anything else?
  • anything else?
  • great minds
  • great minds think alike
  • eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die
  • short for
  • short for (something)
References in periodicals archive
Proverbs The world ain't flat And pigs can't fly You can't get water out of a stone You can't put a square peg in a round hole And you should never judge a book by its cover And a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush And of course, take it easy, never rush Yet, if you're not on time you will miss the bus And it's nice to be nice honest and true God save the Queen, Red White and Blue and God bless you, Yes, absolute power corrupts absolutely And you reap what you sow And never count your chickens until they hatch, Proverbs, proverbs, forever they'll last, Be honest and kind, Yet, if we practised an eye for an eye The world would be blind.
Like many, I remember the warnings of parents and teachers to never count your chickens before they are hatched, and to never keep all your eggs in one basket.
In Huntingdon's 2.50, runner-up Global Dream hit a low of 1.1 in running, but while he was travelling best, eventual winner Snowball was always on his quarters and when the former hit the last the picture changed pretty quickly, just showing you can never count your chickens too early in jump racing.
"You go into the final round tied for the lead with another great player like Jim Furyk and you certainly never count your chickens like it's going to be an easy walk in the park.
SIR - Don't count your chickens (before they're hatched).
You can never count your chickens but this will put the team that wins in the power seat for the group.
Summary: As the saying goes, don't count your chickens before they've hatched.
THERE is an old saying: "Don''t count your chickens before they''ve hatched." It has been said that the result in Sefton Central, in the forthcoming general election, is a foregone conclusion - that it will be a Conservative gain.
Treganna: don't count your chickens before they have hatched.
He added: "It's hard getting players because just when you think you have got someone it can go wrong, and until they are signed you never count your chickens.
But I learned last year you can't count your chickens early."
"You can never count your chickens and it is a long season but, as we stand today, we are on top of the semi-pro sides and we are winning our league within a league at the moment and you cannot ask for any more.
Don't count your chickens: Henrietta struts his-her stuff round the chicken coop
"You can never count your chickens. Someone else might find Andy's situation inviting and jump in."
Some say that "bear" originated in a proverb that goes along the lines of, "Don't sell the bearskin before you've caught the bear." This is similar to "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched." Others say that, "bear skin jobbers" were infamous for selling bearskins that they did not own; the bears had not yet been caught and killed.