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caution

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caution someone about someone or something

 and caution someone against someone or something

to warn someone against someone or something. Haven't I cautioned you about that before? Hasn't someone cautioned you about Daniel?

See also: caution

throw caution to the wind

Cliché to become very careless. Jane, who is usually cautious, threw caution to the wind and went swimming in the ocean. I don't mind taking a little chance now and then, but I'm not the type of person who throws caution to the wind.

See also: caution, throw, wind

throw caution to the wind

also throw caution to the winds

to take a risk As a young man he was always ready to throw caution to the wind.

See also: caution, throw, wind

err on the side of caution

if you err on the side of caution when you are deciding what to do, you do the thing that is safe instead of taking a risk I decided to err on the side of caution and spend less than my full allowance.

See also: caution, err, of, on, side

throw caution to the wind(s)

to take a risk You could always throw caution to the wind and have another glass of wine.

See also: caution, throw, wind

throw caution to the winds

Also, throw discretion to the winds. Behave or speak very rashly, as in Throwing caution to the winds, he ran after the truck, or I'm afraid she's thrown discretion to the winds and told everyone about the divorce. This expression uses to the winds in the sense of "utterly vanishing" or "out of existence," a usage dating from the mid-1600s. The first recorded use of throw to the winds was in 1885.

See also: caution, throw, wind