hold fire

hold (one's) fire

1. To cease or pause firing a firearm. Hold your fire, men—wait until they have crested the hill before attacking. Tell your men to hold fire! We surrender!
2. By extension, to stop attacking, harassing, or criticizing someone or something. He's asking his legions of fans to hold their fire in their online attacks against his accuser.
See also: fire, hold
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hold one's fire

 
1. Lit. to refrain from shooting (a gun, etc.). The sergeant told the soldiers to hold their fire. Please hold your fire until I get out of the way.
2. Fig. to postpone one's criticism or commentary. Now, now, hold your fire until I've had a chance to explain. Hold your fire, Bill. You're too quick to complain.
See also: fire, hold
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • hold (one's) fire
  • hold one's fire
  • hold your fire
  • miss fire
  • cease fire
  • open fire on (someone)
  • under fire
  • have a/(one's) finger on the button
  • draw (someone's) fire
  • draw someone's fire
References in periodicals archive
Israel's military said it would hold fire starting at 8 a.m.
The decision to hold fire comes on the heels of a statement release by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, calling for peace and ceasefire, the report added.
The bank is expected to announce its yearend policy on Tuesday, and many economists are hoping that the central bank will hold fire.
PESHAWAR -- Leader Jamat-e-Islami and member Taliban-appointed committee Prof Ibrahim said the government committee's demand for a one-sided ceasefire is beyond comprehension, and called for a bilateral move to hold fire.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said Lorance ordered his men to open fire immediately, in violation of the military's rules of engagement, which requires soldiers to hold fire unless they have evidence of hostile action.
KAHyRE (CyHAN)- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoy-an has suggested that both sides should hold fire and lashed out at calls by Western powers on Hamas to end rocket attacks into Israel as a precondition to de-escalate the Israel's Gaza offensive.
The European Central Bank held its key interest rates at their current record low, and is also likely to hold fire on other key policy moves for now, analysts said.
''We said before that we have sensed internationalization of the crisis in Syria from the very beginning, and we required yesterday that the two sides hold fire, but focus was put on the Syrian authorities onlyC*Focusing on one side doesn't help solve the problem,'' he added.
However, following the shock decline in GDP in the final quarter of 2010, rate-setters are likely to hold fire for the time being as they wait to see how the economy has fared.
I wanted to investigate but dad, soon to be called up to the Army, ordered me to hold fire.
BANK of England rate-setters are expected to hold fire on further aid for a fragile UK economy tomorrow, a year after launching efforts to boost the money supply.
Firefighters from High Handen Hold fire station were called to put out the blaze, which is under investigation.
The CIPD's chief economist John Philpott said: "Employers' initial reaction to talk of an economic slowdown was to hold fire and take stock of the emerging situation, but a substantial number now expect to trim their workforces."
Aides to Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the Hamas administration in Gaza, said he was trying to persuade the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist groups to hold fire.
Meanwhile, growers continue to rely on pruning, cultural practices, and antibiotic sprays such as streptomycin to hold fire blight in check.