cross that bridge when one comes to it

English

Alternative forms

cross that bridge when one gets there
cross that bridge when one gets to it

Etymology

A metaphor for an idea being like a train of thought and the problem being like the bridge.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

cross that bridge when one comes to it (third-person singular simple present crosses that bridge when one comes to it, present participle crossing that bridge when one comes to it, simple past and past participle crossed that bridge when one came to it)

(idiomatic) To deal with a problem or situation only if and when it arises.
It's possible we'll eventually have more books than available space for them, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Antonyms

cross a bridge before one comes to it

Derived terms

burn that bridge when one comes to it

Translations

deal with something only when it arises

Chinese:
Cantonese: 船到橋頭自然直, 船到桥头自然直 (syun⁴ dou³ kiu⁴ tau⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴ zik⁶)
Mandarin: 船到橋頭自然直／船到桥头自然直 (zh) (chuán dào qiáotóu zì rán zhí)
Finnish: ratkaistaan se ongelma vasta sitten, kun se tulee eteen
German: kommt Zeit, kommt Rat (de), alles zu seiner Zeit
Hebrew: כְּשֶׁנַּגִּיעַ לַגֶּשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר אוֹתוֹ‎ (kshenagí'a lagésher na'avór otó)
Hungarian: (majd) akkor kelünk át a folyón/hídon, amikor odaérünk
Polish: nie martwić się na zapas