to count to five
1
3.0
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
contar hasta cinco
- Before you respond, take a moment to count to five and gather your thoughts.
Examples
-
But with due respect to Justice Brennan, knowing how to "count to five" is at least as important.
Academic text (2017) -
I'm going to count to five and then I'm going to fire.
Fiction book (2001) -
"I'll count to five."
Fiction book (2001) -
Justice William Brennan famously quipped that a critical skill for a Justice of the Supreme Court was the ability to count to five.
Academic text (2017) -
Of course he's crying, and his own head is killing him suddenly, and he smells all these horrible smells like blood, smoke, and gunpowder, and he thinks he's going to vomit all over the place, over her too maybe, and Mr. Maniac with the gun says, "I'm counting to five slowly; you better be gone by then or you're joining her."
Fiction book (2001) -
It's helpful to count to five when you're feeling frustrated, as it can help you calm down.
-
Whenever she gets anxious, she remembers to count to five to ease her mind.
Synonyms
318
2.5
To pause before saying or doing something because you feel unsure
98
3.4
Stop for a short time to think, rest or remember something
How Calm
103
2.7
- Informal
1
3.0
346
1.0
632
3.5
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally means to recite numbers up to five, which is directly derived from 'count' + 'to' + 'five'. Its pragmatic use—to take a short pause and compose oneself—is a straightforward, culturally widespread inferential extension of that literal action, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will very likely understand the intended meaning.
Etymology
Count to five comes from the simple action of slowly saying the numbers one to five; you literally count up to five to give yourself a short 'pause'. This little pause helps you 'calm down' and think before you react, so the phrase means to pause and calm yourself before reacting.