proverb · Legacy record
No sense closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.
No sense closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying shuts the barn door after the horse has escaped. As an analogy, it criticises a precaution that missed the event it was intended to prevent.
What the words are saying
After makes the timing the issue rather than the door’s value in every circumstance. A useful application can recognise the missed opportunity while considering repair or prevention of another incident. The phrase does not make all later effort pointless.
Everyday example
A group reviews a late precaution and decides what can still reduce consequences or prevent repetition.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish prevention of a past event from useful later action.
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What it does not mean
Repair and prevention of recurrence may still matter.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 274; PDF page 42
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.