VOCABULARY - IDIOMS

against the clock

Meaning: 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 finish something before a deadline or before time runs out

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: Something that will be remembered for a long time; timeless

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.

high time

Meaning: If it's high time you did something, it is the appropriate time for it.

in a split second

Meaning: in just very short 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.

invest time in something

Meaning: If you invest your time in something, you put your time, effort, or energy into a project.

It's about time

Meaning: Used to express impatience at the eventual occurrence of something that should have occurred a long time ago.

kill time

Meaning: To kill time means to spend time doing nothing in particular.

live on borrowed time

Meaning: to exist only thanks to good fortune

matter of time

Meaning: The phrase it is only a matter if time is used to say that something will certainly happen.

moment in the sun

Meaning: A brief instance in which an otherwise obscure, unremarkable, or humble person draws attention.

moment of truth

Meaning: A deciding instant; the time when a test determines or makes it apparent whether something will succeed.

name the day

Meaning: fix the date of an important event, especially marriage.

not for a minute

Meaning: not at all.

not in a million years

Meaning: The phrase not in a million years means never, not at any point or under absolutely no circumstances.

now or never

Meaning: said when you have to do something right now because you may not get another chance to do it later.

once in a blue moon

Meaning: "Once in a blue moon" refers to something that occurs very infrequently. The term "blue moon" is an astronomical phenomenon that happens when there are two full moons within a single calendar month, which is a rare event. Thus, anything that happens "once in a blue moon" is considered uncommon or rare.

one-day wonder

Meaning: The phrase one-day wonder refers to something or someone that attracts great interest for a short time but is subsequently forgotten.

pressed for time

Meaning: If you are pressed for time, it means that you are in a hurry.

question of time

Meaning: said about something that will surely happen.

quick as a wink

Meaning: The phrase (as) quick as a wink is an idiomatic expression that means very quickly.

race against time

Meaning: To race against time means to hurry to do something before a deadline.

Rome wasn't built in a day

Meaning: said to emphasize that great work takes time to do. Nothing of importance can be done in a short period of time.

rough time

Meaning: The idiom rough time means a hard or bad time.

round the clock

Meaning: The phrase round the clock refers to something happening or done all day and all night.

save the day

Meaning: The phrase save the day means to rescue someone or a situation from danger or failure.

stand the test of time

Meaning: If something stands the test of time, it lasts for a long time.

the minute (that)

Meaning: at the moment when

time flies

Meaning: The phrase time flies means that time passes very quickly especially when you're having fun.

to the last

Meaning: until the completion of something or until death.

to this day

Meaning: until now.

turn back the clock

Meaning: figuratively to return in time to an earlier period of history.

under the wire

Meaning: At the last minute; before the deadline; barely on time; nearly late.

up to the minute

Meaning: the most modern

up-to-date

Meaning: current; recent; the latest

watch the clock

Meaning: To keep noticing the clock because you are eager to stop what you are doing.

zero hour

Meaning: the time when something is planned to begin (military)