the.com/cavalier
Confidence that skipped the step where it checks if it's right.
means Showing a careless, offhand disregard for something that probably deserved more thought or respect.
from From Latin caballus, 'horse,' which gave Italian cavaliere and French chevalier — a mounted, armed gentleman. In English 'Cavalier' became the name for the swaggering, royalist, sword-at-hip supporters of Charles I during the English Civil War, as opposed to the sober Roundheads. Their reputation for dash, swagger, and disdain for caution curdled the word into its modern sense: breezy confidence that never pauses to check if it's earned.
- origin
- from mounted knight, same root as chivalry
- shift
- horsemen's swagger curdled into recklessness by 1600s
- usage tell
- always describes the careless, never the careful
- bonus
- also a dog breed and an NBA team, both dashing