Jack decided to insure the contents of his apartment after it was burgled.
Now that's shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted!
English Idioms & idiomatic expressions. 2014.
shut (or bolt) the stable door after the horse has bolted — Brit. try to prevent something undesirable when it is already too late to do so. → stable … English new terms dictionary
it is too late to shut the stable-door after the horse has bolted — In early use the proverb referred to horse stealing; has bolted is a modern substitution for the traditional is stolen. Cf. medieval Fr. a tart ferme on l’estable, quant li chevaux est perduz, the stable is shut too late, when the horse is lost.… … Proverbs new dictionary
shut the stable door after the horse has bolted — I try to avert something bad or unwelcome when it is already too late to do so II try to avoid or prevent something bad or unwelcome when it is already too late to do so … Useful english dictionary
stable door — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms stable door : singular stable door plural stable doors 1) a door on a stable 2) a door in two halves, with a top part that can be left open when the bottom part is shut • close the stable door after the horse… … English dictionary
stable — [[t]ste͟ɪb(ə)l[/t]] ♦♦ stabler, stablest, stables, stabling, stabled 1) ADJ GRADED If something is stable, it is not likely to change or come to an end suddenly. The price of oil should remain stable for the rest of 1992. ...a stable marriage.… … English dictionary
stable — sta|ble1 W3 [ˈsteıbəl] adj [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: estable, from Latin stabilis, from stare to stand ] 1.) steady and not likely to move or change ≠ ↑unstable →↑stability ▪ A wide base will make the structure much more stable. in… … Dictionary of contemporary English
stable — 1 adjective 1 steady and not likely to move or change: Be careful, that ladder isn t stable. | a stable marriage | a politically stable country 2 calm, reasonable, and not easy to upset: Norman s a bit neurotic, but his wife s a very stable… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
door — see a door must either be shut or open a creaking door hangs longest a golden key can open any door when one door shuts, another opens opportunity never knocks twice at any man’s door a postern door makes a thief … Proverbs new dictionary
shut — see a shut mouth catches no flies a door must either be shut or open when one door shuts, another opens it is too late to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted … Proverbs new dictionary
stable — stable1 adjective (stabler, stablest) 1》 not likely to give way or overturn; firmly fixed. 2》 not likely to change or fail. ↘not deteriorating in health after an injury or operation. ↘emotionally well balanced. 3》 not liable to undergo… … English new terms dictionary
