Reacting on instinct B1
Spot a gut reaction, then work out whether it actually holds up.
a knee-jerk reaction C1 — instinctive, unthinking reactionA: Did you see how quickly she snapped at him in the meeting?
B: Yeah, it seemed like a knee-jerk reaction. She probably didn't mean to sound so harsh.
add up B2 — make senseA: Do you believe his story?
B: Not really. Something doesn’t add up.
in hindsight C1 — reflecting on the pastA: Do you regret moving to the city?
B: Not really, but in hindsight, I might have chosen a different neighbourhood.
Quitting on the spot
A: I nearly handed my notice in there and then.
B: Sounds like a bit of a knee-jerk reaction, that.
A: Maybe. I was just fuming at the time.
B: Walking out over one bad meeting doesn't really add up, does it?
A: No, you're right. In hindsight I'm glad I slept on it.
The reviews said avoid it
A: I cancelled the booking the second I saw one bad review.
B: That's a proper knee-jerk reaction — it had four stars overall!
A: Yeah, binning it over one moan doesn't add up now you say it.
B: Have another look. Might still be a decent shout.
A: In hindsight I should've just read the rest of them.