hit the brakes

hit the brakes

1. To quickly engage a vehicle's brakes to slow down or stop. He hit the brakes when he saw the child running into the street.
2. By extension, to slow down or stop something one is doing. We had to hit the brakes on development when we found out the investors were pulling out.
See also: brake, hit
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hit the brakes

 
1. Lit. to step on a vehicle's brakes hard and fast. I came around the curve too fast and had to hit the brakes immediately.
2. Fig. to stop [something]. The project seemed to be getting nowhere so we hit the brakes before too much more money was spent.
See also: brake, hit
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • brake
  • slam (on) the brake(s)
  • slam the brake(s) on
  • slam the brakes on
  • jam (on) the brake(s)
  • jam on the brake
  • jam the brake(s) on
  • jam the brakes on
  • put on the brakes
  • bog
References in periodicals archive
After noticing the speeding truck, the driver of the Honda hit the brakes and swerved his car to avoid the truck.
Dramatic near-mishap on SLEX captured on motorist's dashcam
Hamilton was within half-a-second of the Ferrari car, and as Vettel re-joined the track at the ensuing corner, Hamilton, pushed up against the concrete wall, was forced to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.
Hamilton wins in controversial style but Vettel rages at decision; FORMULA 1
Ryan, however, abruptly hit the brakes when someone suddenly crossed the street.
Woman and her pet dog killed in Ormoc road accident
Hou told police that he accidentally stepped on the accelerator pedal when he had actually intended to hit the brakes when on a steep incline.
93-year-old man crashes Mercedes into Taipei MRT station
Railway officials said when the train reached near the underpass outside Gojra railway station, the driver heard a loud noise emanating from compartment No 2, so he immediately hit the brakes.
Fake intelligence officer arrested
Cantado apparently had not noticed the uncut log that was protruding from the trailer truck when he hit the brakes, according to case prober Senior Police Officer 1 Hannibal Parintildeas.
Log crushes truck driver's head in Valenzuela
Texans want to hit the brakes on immigration, UT/TT Poll finds
TribCast: UT/TT pollsters on the elections, Trump, immigration and #MeToo
THE father of a seven-year-old boy who remains in hospital with a skull fracture after being involved in a hit-and-run has said the driver "didn't even hit the brakes".
Father's appeal for help after son, 7, injured in hit-and-run
They just hit the brakes and do what's best for the whole country.
Hit the brakes and do what's best for the UK
Don't increase your steering angle or hit the brakes, as this will only make it worse.
Top tips for driving in snow
The driver hit the brakes as she failed to get up the hill in wintry conditions then slipped backwards towards a steep drop, where there was no protective barrier.
Terror on the hillside; WOMAN BADLY SHAKEN AS CAR SLIDES CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF HOLME MOSS AFTER SLIPPING BACKWARDS IN THE SNOW
Unfortunately, for Theresa May and her band of Tory cronies, this isn't enough to hit the brakes.
Egos run the show; Letters.
The train's driver hit the brakes, but was unable to prevent the collision.
19 KILLED AS RUSSIAN TRAIN SLAMS INTO BUS
After he was told that he would be investigated for attempted murder, the suspect reportedly denied that he had tried to hit the officer with his car, and said he had hit the brakes trying to avoid her, as she was standing in the middle of the street.
Man charged after trying to run over police officer
"It looked like the lorry driver had hit the brakes and it had come out of the front and just gone everywhere.
Ponteland Road closed for seven hours while firefighters cleaned up offal spill; Police said the road re-opened at 3am after firefighters washed the waste from the scene and helped reload the lorry