Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I’m not going to jump the gun now. I want to win [the World Series] first.”
David Wells, Boston Red Sox pitcher, talking about whether he plans to retire from baseball.
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
act too quickly; start something before you’re supposed to
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
To jump the gun means to do something too soon, or before you are supposed to do it. For example, when runners line up before a race, they are supposed to start running when the referee fires his sound gun. If they start running before the gunshot, they have jumped the gun.
David Wells, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, is 42 years old, which is pretty old for a professional baseball player. He was always being asked if he plans to retire, but he didn’t want to jump the gun and give an answer until the baseball season was finished.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“Sheila jumped the gun and told everyone she was getting married before Tony even proposed to her.”