strike while the iron is hot

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play

The adage originates from the common craft of blacksmithing. It appears in Chaucer's The Tale of Melibee, "right so as whil that iren is hoot men sholden smyte". (Harvard) It gained additional meaning when used as a motto by Joseph Paisley - a blacksmith at Gretna Green who married eloping couples at his anvil. (History in the Margins)

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Albanian: hekuri rrihet sa është i nxehtë — act on an opportunity promptly
• Azerbaijani: dəmiri qızğınkən döyərlər — act on an opportunity promptly
• Azerbaijani: dəmir isti-isti döyülər — act on an opportunity promptly
• Chinese Cantonese: 趁熱打鐵 /趁热打铁 (can3 jit6 daa2 tit3) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Chinese Cantonese: 打鐵趁熱 /打铁趁热 (daa2 tit3 can3 jit6) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Chinese: 魚趁生,人趁茈 /鱼趁生 — act on an opportunity promptly
• Chinese: 人趁茈 (hî-thàn-chhin, lâng-thàn-chín) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Chinese Mandarin: 趁熱打鐵 /趁热打铁 (chènrè-dǎtiě) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Chinese Mandarin: 打鐵趁熱 /打铁趁热 (dǎtiě-chènrè) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Czech: kout železo, dokud je žhavé — act on an opportunity promptly
• Czech: kuj železo, dokud je žhavé — act on an opportunity promptly
• Danish: smede mens jernet er varmt — act on an opportunity promptly
• Dutch: het ijzer smeden als het heet is — act on an opportunity promptly
• Finnish: takoa kun rauta on kuumaa — act on an opportunity promptly
• French: il faut battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud — act on an opportunity promptly
• Georgian: დაჰკარ, სანამ რკინა ცხელია (dahḳar, sanam rḳina cxelia) — act on an opportunity promptly
• German: man muss das Eisen schmieden, solange es heiß ist — act on an opportunity promptly
• Greek: στη βράση κολλάει το σίδερο (sti vrási kolláei to sídero) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Hebrew: הכה בברזל בעודו חם — act on an opportunity promptly
• Hindi: लोहा गरम हैं. मार दो हथौड़ा. (lohā garam ha͠i. mār do hathauṛā.) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Hungarian: addig üsd a vasat, amíg meleg — act on an opportunity promptly
• Irish: buail an t-iarann te — act on an opportunity promptly
• Italian: battere il ferro finché è caldo — act on an opportunity promptly
• Japanese: 善は急げ (zen wa isoge) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Japanese: 膳は急げ (zen wa isoge) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Japanese: 鉄は熱いうちに打て (tetsu wa atsui uchi ni ute) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Korean: 쇠뿔도 단김에 빼랬다 (soeppuldo dan'gime ppaeraetda) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Lingala: otútá ebendé ntángo ezalí na mɔ̌tɔ — act on an opportunity promptly
• Lithuanian: kalti geležį, kol ji karšta — act on an opportunity promptly
• Macedonian: железото се кове додека е жешко (železoto se kove dodeka e žeško) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Maltese: il-ftira sħuna tajba — act on an opportunity promptly
• Norwegian: smi mens jernet er varmt — act on an opportunity promptly
• Polish: kuć żelazo, póki gorące — act on an opportunity promptly
• Portuguese: malhar enquanto o ferro está quente — act on an opportunity promptly
• Romanian: bate fierul cât e cald — act on an opportunity promptly
• Russian: куй желе́зо, пока́ горячо́ (kuj želézo, poká gorjačó) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Serbo-Croatian: željezo se kuje dok je vruće — act on an opportunity promptly
• Spanish: al hierro caliente batir de repente — act on an opportunity promptly
• Spanish: batir el hierro cuando está al rojo — act on an opportunity promptly
• Swedish: smida medan järnet är varmt — act on an opportunity promptly
• Thai: ตีเหล็กเมื่อแดง กินแกงเมื่อร้อน (dtii-lèk-mʉ̂ʉa-dɛɛng-gin-gɛɛng-mʉ̂ʉa-rɔ́ɔn) — act on an opportunity promptly
• Turkish: demir tavında dövülür — act on an opportunity promptly
• Walloon: bate li fier tant k' il est tchôd — act on an opportunity promptly
• Walloon: ploumer l’ ålouwete cwand on l’ tént — act on an opportunity promptly