give pause

Idioms  

1. Cause one to hesitate, as in The high monthly installment payments gave me pause, or, as Shakespeare put it in Hamlet (3:1): “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come ... Must give us pause.” [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

“This list should give pause to anyone—no matter his or her political beliefs—who cares about the rule of law,” Schiltz, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said in a written order.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he comes with baggage that could give pause to any president seeking a loyalist.

From The Wall Street Journal

They “give pause and invite reflection … very much like catching someone else, someone you care for, gazing into the mirror.”

From Los Angeles Times

This year’s surging turmoil — new crises, new wars and new economic slumps — would give pause to the greatest of optimists.

From Seattle Times

It adds: "We question how any department can consider that a foreign country single-handedly running our nuclear power stations shouldn't give pause for thought."

From BBC