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Glite Dictionary
to crawl before you walk

to crawl before you walk

1 5.0
To start with simple tasks before trying harder ones
  • idiom
translation icon : gatear antes de caminar
  • All babies need to crawl before they walk.

Examples

  • I know they say you crawl before you walk

    Hidden Figures (2016)

  • Gotta crawl before you walk.

    Friday (1995)

  • Gotta crawl before you walk.

    Friday (1995)

  • Got to crawl before you walk, let alone run battles with the storm troopers.

    Blog text (2)

  • YEAH, MAN, BUT YOU GOT TO CRAWL BEFORE YOU WALK.

    Home Fries (1998)

  • Babies naturally crawl before you walk, gradually developing their motor skills.

  • In project management, it's essential to crawl before you walk by starting with small tasks first.

  • Before attempting advanced topics, students must crawl before you walk with the fundamentals.

Synonyms

step by step
vsto crawl before you walk
23 1.8

In a gradual way, doing each part one after another

emphasizes starting with basic tasks before harder ones
to learn the ropes
vsto crawl before you walk
  • Informal
9 3.4

To begin to understand how to do a job by gaining basic skills

focuses on basics across tasks rather than only job learning
to put one foot in front of the other
vsto crawl before you walk
7 3.6

To keep moving forward step by step despite problems

is about beginning with basic tasks, not only about persistence
learn to walk before you can run
vsto crawl before you walk
  • Informal
4.2

Start with basic skills before trying harder tasks

is the same idea phrased as direct advice
in small stages
vsto crawl before you walk
3.9

You do a little at a time instead of trying everything at once

implies beginning with simple work, not just moving slowly
eat an elephant one bite at a time
vsto crawl before you walk
  • Informal
7.5

To finish a very large task by doing small easy steps

shares gradual approach but stresses starting with basics for progress

Antonyms

to jump into
38 3.0

Start taking part in something quickly and with enthusiasm

How Gradual

to crawl before you walk
1 5.0
to learn the ropes
  • Informal
9 3.4
to start out
286 1.4

Surface Forms

crawl before you walk infinitive

Morphology

crawl + before + you + walk

The proverbical meaning 'start with basic tasks before attempting more complicated ones' is directly and predictably built from the literal sequence 'crawl' + 'before' + 'you' + 'walk' — knowing the constituent actions and the temporal connector makes the intended metaphor clear. This developmental-sequence metaphor is common across languages and follows standard compositional logic, so a B1 learner who knows the words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The saying crawl before you walk comes from the idea of babies who learn to crawl first and only later walk. So it means 'start with simple tasks before trying harder ones'.