Definitions for go off half-cocked
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Princeton's WordNet
go off half-cocked, go off at half-cock(verb)
act prematurely or without reflection or too soon
"she wanted to quit her job but her mother told her not to go off half-cocked"
Wiktionary
go off half-cocked(Verb)
: To take a premature or ill-considered action.
Origin: From the days of flintlock and caplock firearms, where the half-cock position of the hammer was both a rudimentary safety, and the proper position for priming the pan or inserting a percussion cap. The phrase was originally rendered, "to go off at half-cock."
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"go off half-cocked." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2013. Web. 23 May 2013. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/go off half-cocked>.