Word.ws English Dictionary

taking time by the forelock

taking time by the forelock is the present participle and gerund of take time by the forelock.

Meaning of take time by the forelock

Verb

take time by the forelock (third-person singular simple present takes time by the forelock, present participle taking time by the forelock, simple past took time by the forelock, past participle taken time by the forelock)

  1. (idiomatic, imperative, often) To seize an opportunity quickly before it is no longer available.
    • Tell her the ioyous time wil not be staid, / Unlesse she doe him by the forelock take;1595, Edmund Spenser, Amoretti, Sonnet 70

Questions about taking time by the forelock

What is taking time by the forelock the present participle and gerund of?
Taking time by the forelock is the present participle and gerund of take time by the forelock.

Words near taking time by the forelock in the dictionary

  1. taking the wheel
  2. taking the wind out of someone's sails
  3. taking the words out of someone's mouth
  4. taking the wrong turn at Albuquerque
  5. taking time
  6. taking time by the forelock
  7. taking time off
  8. taking time out
  9. taking to
  10. taking to court
  11. taking to drink

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: taking time by the forelock (page history and authors); take time by the forelock (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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