to throw caution to the wind
- idiom
- Informal
- After carefully considering her options, she decided to throw caution to the wind and finally go skydiving.
- decided to throw caution to the wind
- just throw caution to the wind
- willing to throw caution to the wind
Interestingly, I know that most folks would not throw caution to the wind and you wouldn't become a big fearless rebel.
- Interestingly, I know that most folks would not throw caution to the wind and you wouldn't become a big fearless rebel.
- Now, that doesn't mean that we just throw caution to the wind and we're going to get more into that with some of the subsequent questions, but recognizing that you will never.
Examples
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However, we threw caution to the wind because it was better than the awful state of indecision I was in.
Blog text (28) -
Condit's best option is to throw caution to the wind and unload everything he's got with furious aggression.
Blog text (24) -
Jump up and down, throw caution to the wind and break into a smile.
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And so each in their own way, they resolved to throw caution to the wind and do something quite different this time around.
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I'm throwing caution to the wind.
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I didn't expect you to throw caution to the wind quite so fast.
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Knowing full well that what Hresah and I said would make its way to the contact team, I decided to throw caution to the wind.
Fiction book (1997) -
Today, I am going to throw caution to the wind and lead with a super-awesome excerpt.
Blog text (25) -
I'm one to live, and I think by doing this, throwing caution to the wind and being bold, I'm living life more than I ever have.
Blog text (31) -
Throwing caution to the wind, she embarks on a passionate extramarital affair.
Blog text (9)
Synonyms
Do things that might be dangerous to get something important
Take an unnecessary risk that might cause bad luck
Acting quickly without thinking about the risks
To do something that might lead to harm or loss
To try something risky when the result is not certain
To do something risky without knowing what will happen
To act in a risky way without thinking about the bad results
To make a big decision you cannot change that may be risky
Antonyms
How Reckless
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
throw + caution + to + the + wind
A learner who knows 'throw' (discard), 'caution' (carefulness) and 'wind' (here used metaphorically) can largely infer that the phrase means to discard carefulness or act despite risks; 'throw caution' clearly signals letting go of caution while 'to the wind' conveys abandonment. However, the expression is a conventionalized metaphor and the prepositional phrase is idiomatic rather than strictly compositional, so the meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom throw caution to the wind gives a clear picture of someone taking their caution, their care, and throwing it into the wind so it blows away. That's why it means 'to act without worrying about the risks'.