To work or race against the clock means to do something as fast as possible and try to finish it before a deadline.
against time
Meaning:
an attempt to finish something quickly within a time limit.
ahead of one's time
Meaning:
in advance of concurrent commonly accepted ideas; showing characteristics of changes yet to be; present in one's work before later advances in the field.
any minute soon now
Meaning:
very soon
beat the clock
Meaning:
To do something before a deadline.
blast from the past
Meaning:
The phrase refers to something or someone from your past that reappeared into your life again.
call it a day
Meaning:
to stop working for the rest of the day.
caught in a time warp
Meaning:
Another variation of this idiom is to be stuck in a time warp or to be in a time warp.
clock on
Meaning:
To register one's arrival at work
clock out
Meaning:
To register one's departure from work.
devil of a time
Meaning:
If you have a devil of a time, you have a very difficult time.
different as night and day
Meaning:
If things or people are different as night and day, they are completely unlike each other.
drastic times call for drastic measures
Meaning:
The idiom drastic times call for drastic measures means that when you face extreme and undesirable situations, it is sometimes necessary to take extreme actions.
every minute
Meaning:
describing the whole period that something lasted.
face that would stop a clock
Meaning:
The phrase a face that would stop a clock refers to an ugly face.
for the ages
Meaning:
The phrase for the ages is an idiomatic expression that refers to something that will be memorable and noteworthy; standing the test of time.
have a whale of a time
Meaning:
The phrase to have a whale of a time means to have an exciting or fun time.
have time on your hands
Meaning:
The phrase to have (too much) time on one's hands is an idiomatic expression that means that one has extra time.
in the nick of time
Meaning:
The phrase in the nick of time means at the last possible moment, just before it's too late.