cross that bridge when you come to it
cross that bridge when (one) comes to it
To address something only when it actually happens or becomes an issue. A: "Should we reach out to our distributors and let them know there may be a problem down the line?" B: "No, let's just cross that bridge when we get there." The job interview is a week away, so I'm not worried about it yet—I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
See also: bridge, come, cross, that
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
cross that bridge when you come to it
If you say I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, you mean that you will deal with a problem if it happens. `You can't make me talk to you.' — `No, but the police can.' — `I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' Note: You can also say things like I haven't crossed that bridge yet or there are still some bridges to cross when you have not yet dealt with a particular problem. We have not crossed that bridge yet. We are trying to get the criminal case dealt with. There are still a few bridges to cross.
See also: bridge, come, cross, that
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
cross that bridge when you come to it
deal with a problem when and if it arises. 1998 Spectator As to what would happen to the case for non-proliferation when the Cold War was won, the allies would cross that bridge when they came to it, which seemed at the time well beyond any foreseeable future.
See also: bridge, come, cross, that
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
cross that bridge when you come to it
Hold off making a decision until it is necessary; don’t anticipate trouble until it actually occurs. “Don’t cross the bridge till you come to it, is a proverb old and of excellent wit,” said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Golden Legend, 1851), and eighty years later that witty playwright Noël Coward said, “I don’t believe in crying over my bridge before I’ve eaten it” (Private Lives, 1930). The ultimate origins of the term have been lost.
See also: bridge, come, cross, that
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- cross a bridge when one comes to it
- cross a bridge when you come to it
- cross that bridge when (one) comes to it
- cross that bridge when (one) gets there
- cross that bridge when (one) gets to it
- cross that bridge when one comes to it
- if and when
- eat (one's) hat
- eat one’s hat
- eat your hat