to check oneself before one wrecks oneself
- idiom
- Slang
:
reflexionar antes de actuar
- Before responding in anger, it's wise to check oneself before one wrecks oneself.
Examples
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It's important to check oneself before one wrecks oneself in heated discussions.
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He always tells his team to check oneself before one wrecks oneself when making big decisions.
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If you want to avoid drama, just remember to check oneself before one wrecks oneself.
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You should check oneself before one wrecks oneself!
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Before responding in anger, it's wise to check oneself before one wrecks oneself.
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He always reminds his team to check oneself before one wrecks oneself during important discussions.
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To maintain good relationships, it's crucial to check oneself before one wrecks oneself in conversations.
Synonyms
107
3.6
Carefully consider something before you act to avoid a mistake
7
7.5
To think about your actions before you speak or act
2
3.6
To consider what might happen before you do something
To think carefully about what you have done and decide to act differently
Antonyms
How Cautious
∞
1.0
- Slang
22
6.4
- Informal
107
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
check + oneself + before + one + wreck + oneself
The admonitory meaning is largely inferable from the constituents: 'check' (restrain oneself) + 'before' (prior to) + 'wreck' (ruin/damage) with reflexive pronouns, so a learner can reasonably guess 'restrain yourself before you ruin yourself'. However, 'wreck oneself' is a metaphorical extension and the phrase is a fixed colloquial admonition, so full nuance and idiomatic use may not be entirely predictable to a B1 learner without some exposure.
Etymology
Check oneself before one wrecks oneself comes from a simple image: imagine you check your brakes or your choices before you wreck (crash) yourself. One popular story says the line spread in slang and hip-hop as a sharp warning to stop and think, so it now means 'to think carefully and avoid getting into trouble'.