give pause for thought


give (one) pause for thought

To cause one to take a moment to consider something. I'd love to buy a house, but the fact that I'd have to completely deplete my savings account to do it gives me pause for thought.See also: give, pause, thought

give (somebody) pause for ˈthought

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give (somebody) ˈpause

(formal) make somebody think seriously about something or hesitate before doing something: His remarks on the conditions in our prisons gave me pause for thought. Until that moment I’d never realized things were so bad.See also: give, pause, thought