shut the stable door after the horse has bolted; belated precaution
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesproverb
to take precautions too late; to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted
This idiom is used metaphorically to criticize reactive rather than proactive behavior. It implies that the preventive measure, while perhaps sensible in itself, is futile or ineffective because it comes after the damage has already occurred. The tone is often critical or admonitory.
Only now do you come to inspect? It's simply like locking the door after the thief has left—what use is there?
We need to take preventive measures in advance; we cannot wait until problems arise to solve them, as that would be shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
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The company went bankrupt and only then did they think of buying insurance—isn't that locking the door after the thief has left?