imprudence, indiscretion; overconfidence, presumption, audacity.
precipitancy, precipitation; impetuosity; levity; foolhardihood†,
foolhardiness; heedlessness, thoughtlessness &c (inattention) 458;
carelessness &c (neglect) 460; desperation; Quixotism, knight-errantry;
fire eating.
gaming, gambling; blind bargain, leap in the dark, leap of faith,
fool's paradise; too many eggs in one basket.
desperado, rashling†, madcap, daredevil, Hotspur, fire eater,
bully, bravo, Hector, scapegrace, enfant perdu [Fr.]; Don Quixote,
knight-errant, Icarus; adventurer; gambler, gamester; dynamitard†;
boomer [U.S.].
V. be rash &c adj.; stick at nothing, play a desperate game; run into
danger &c 665; play with fire, play with edge tools.
carry too much sail, sail too near the wind, ride at single
anchor, go out of one's depth.
take a leap in the dark, buy a pig in a poke.
donner tete baissee [Fr.]; knock, one's bead against a wall &c (be
unskillful) 699; rush on destruction; kick against the pricks, tempt
Providence, go on a forlorn hope, go on a fool's errand.
reckon one's chickens before they are hatched, count one's
chickens before they are hatched, reckon without one's host; catch at
straws; trust to a broken reed, lean on a broken reed.
Adj. rash, incautious, indiscreet; imprudent, improvident, temerarious;
uncalculating†; heedless; careless &c (neglectful) 460; without ballast,
heels over head, head over heels; giddy &c (inattentive) 458; wanton,
reckless, wild, madcap; desperate, devil-may-care.
hot-blooded, hotheaded, hotbrained†; headlong, headstrong;
breakneck; foolhardy; harebrained; precipitate, impulsive.
overconfident, overweening; venturesome, venturous; adventurous,
Quixotic, fire eating, cavalier; janty†, jaunty, free and easy.
off one's guard &c (inexpectant) 508 [Obs.].
Adv. post haste, a corps perdu [Fr.], hand over head, tete baissee
[Fr.], headforemost†; happen what may, come what may.
Phr. neck or nothing, the devil being in one; non semper temeritas est
felix [Lat.] [Livy]; paucis temeritas est bono multis malo [Lat.]
[Phaedrus].