Head off at the pass
verb phrase
To forestall or prevent by anticipation: A single mother has to establish control fast, before the coercive cycle builds. You have to head it off at the pass
[1930s+; fr the stock situation in western movies, where typically the leader of a force pursuing thieves or rustlers through rough ground declares, ”We’ll head them off at the pass”]
Read Also:
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noun 1. the person who holds the highest position in a national government: a meeting of heads of state.
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noun phrase Full speed and impetus: Stephanopoulos acknowledges a steady series of peaks and valleys: ”You get up a head of steam and then—oops! What’s coming around the corner?” [1835+; the date refers to the actual boiler pressure of a machine]
- Head of the river
noun 1.
- Head-on
[hed-on, -awn] /ˈhɛdˈɒn, -ˈɔn/ adjective 1. (of two objects) meeting with the fronts or heads foremost: a head-on collision. 2. facing the direction of forward motion or alignment; frontal. 3. characterized by direct opposition: a head-on confrontation. adverb 4. with the front or head foremost, especially in a collision: She stepped out of the front […]
- Head or tail
see: can’t make head or tail