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the best-laid plans
Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the full proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid plans and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid plans, I suppose."
the best-laid plans go astray
Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the full proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, even the best-laid plans go astray. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. Even the best-laid plans go astray, I suppose."
the best-laid plans of mice and men
Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It is an abbreviated version of the full proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though, the best-laid plans of mice and men and all that. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid plans of mice and men, I suppose."
game plan
A carefully considered strategy. My game plan to secure employment in my field includes gaining as much hands-on experience as I can and obtaining a few more certifications before the end of the year.
man plans and God laughs
A phrase that criticizes people's tendency to make plans, as there is no guarantee that plans will work out. I used to make itineraries for our vacations, but nothing ever went as I had planned. Man plans and God laughs, right?
no plan survives contact with the enemy
Military plans always need to be changed once they are enacted in real-life military situations. The saying emphasizes the need for flexibility, as opposed to strict adherence to strategy. It is attributed to Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, a 19th-century Prussian field marshal. Men, be ready to make changes on the battlefield—we all know that no plan survives contact with the enemy.
the never-never plan
The act of buying something and paying for it in installments. Primarily heard in UK. I'm still on the never-never plan for some of the gifts I bought last Christmas.
best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray,
and best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley.Prov. Things often go wrong even though you have carefully planned what you are going to do. (The gang aft a-gley version is Scots dialect, and comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse.") Jill: I reserved a hotel room for us three weeks ago, but now the clerk says he has no record of our reservation. So much for our fun weekend in the city. Jane: Well, these things happen. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. I had all the arrangements made for my party, and then the guest of honor got sick and I had to call the whole thing off. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft a-gley. If a little rain can ruin the best-laid plans of mice and men, think what an earthquake might do!
lay something aside
to set something aside; to place something to one side, out of the way. He laid his papers aside and went out to welcome the visitor. He laid aside his papers.
plan for someone
to prepare enough [of something] for someone. Fred just called and said he can show up for dinner after all. Please plan for him. Tony wasn't planned for, and there is no place for him to sit.
plan for something
1. to prepare for something. I need to take some time and plan for my retirement. We carefully planned for almost every possibility.
2. to prepare or estimate for a certain number [of people or things]. I am planning for twelve. I hope everyone can come.
plan on someone
to be ready for someone; to anticipate someone's arrival. Don't plan on Sam. He has a cold and probably won't come. We are planning on Ted and Bill.
plan on something
to prepare for something; to be ready for something; to anticipate something. If I were you, I would plan on a big crowd at your open house. This was not planned on.
plan something out
to make thorough plans for something. Let us sit down and plan our strategy out. We sat down and planned out our strategy.
upset someone's plans
Fig. to ruin someone's plans. I hope it doesn't upset your plans if I'm late for the meeting. No, it won't upset my plans at all.
lay aside something
also lay something aside to ignore something or decide that it is not important Our neighbors laid aside their personal safety to help us save our animals from the fire.
Related vocabulary: set aside something a game plan
a plan for achieving success, especially in business or politics Part of the firm's game plan is to expand into Eastern Europe.
best-laid plans go astray, the
Also, the best-laid schemes go astray. Even very careful designs or projects do not always succeed. For example, Mary spent all afternoon preparing this elaborate dish but forgot the most important ingredient-oh well, the best-laid plans go astray . This particular turn of phrase comes from Robert Burns's poem "To a Mouse" (1786): "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley [go often astray]." It is so well known that it is often abbreviated to the best-laid plans.
lay aside
1. Give up, abandon, as in He laid aside all hopes of winning first prize. [First half of 1400s]
2. Also,
lay away;
lay by. Set apart for a reason, save for the future, as in
They lay aside enough to pay the rent, or
Because coffee prices were rising, she laid by enough for a month, or
The store laid away the winter coat I wanted. [Early 1700s] The first variant gave rise, about 1970, to the term
layaway plan, in which merchandise is
laid away for a buyer who pays a deposit and receives it when payment is made in full. Also see
lay down, def. 4;
set aside.
plan on
1. Have as an aim or purpose, as in We had planned on going to the movies after dinner.
2. Anticipate, prepare for, as in We planned on you to make a speech, or They hadn't planned on such a big crowd. [Early 1900s]
lay aside
v.1. To stop being actively engaged with something: I will lay aside my reading and go for a walk when I finish this chapter. The lifeguard laid the binoculars aside and jumped in the water.
2. To abandon something, especially a plan, hope, or desire; give up something: The marooned sailors had lain aside any hope of being saved. When the loan fell through, they laid their plans of buying a house aside.
3. To save something for the future: I lay aside part of my paycheck every week to save for a new car. Let's lay part of your allowance aside to pay for the movies.
plan ahead
v. To make arrangements in advance: I planned ahead and bought my tickets a month in advance, which saved me a lot of money.
plan for
v. To prepare for something: Many people don't plan for retirement and then find that they haven't saved enough money.
plan on
v.1. To intend to do something: I plan on buying a house as soon as I get a promotion.
2. To anticipate or expect something: We planned on 50 people coming to our party, so we bought a lot of food. I didn't plan on being stuck in traffic for two hours.
plan out
v. To formulate a detailed scheme or plan for something: Every Monday we have a meeting to plan out the week. The suspects said the murder was an accident, but the police claimed they had planned it all out.
game plan
n. a plan of action; a scheme. (From sports.) The game plan for the election was beginning to shape up.