It's time to make your writing shine
Young Post is a unit ofSouth China Morning Post
Karly joined Young Post with a background in educational publishing, and a degree in law; a career in youth news and language education seemed the natural fit. She covers local education matters, news in education, English language learning, and everything teen-related.
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Time is a big part of life, and there are a lot of English phrases and expressions that are related to it. Here are some of the most popular ones,
1 against the clock
meaning: if you work against the clock, you are trying very hard to finish something before a deadline
use: Police are working against the clock to find the evidence they need.
2 around the clock
meaning: all day and all night
use: The nurses worked around the clock to look after the injured child.
3 back in the day
meaning: a time in the past; used mostly when you are remembering nice things
use: My parents say Hong Kong’s pollution wasn’t a problem back in the day, and the sky was always blue.
4 behind the times
meaning: old-fashioned; not modern
use: Anyone who isn’t on Snapchat is behind the times and needs to catch up!
5 call it a day/night
meaning: decide that you have finished doing something for now
use: We’ve been working on this project since 6am. Let’s call it a day, and finish it tomorrow.
6 crunch time
meaning: a point at which something difficult must be done
use: The elections have been entertaining, but now it’s crunch time, and the candidates must prove they are worthy
7 day in the sun
meaning: a time when you get attention and are appreciated
use: If she keeps working so hard, she will have her day in the sun and be promoted.
8 someone’s days are numbered
meaning: they will not exist for much longer
use: After it got knocked over by that truck, my bike’s days are numbered.
9 at the eleventh hour
meaning: at the last moment; almost too late
use: The director was making changes to the script at the eleventh hour – I mean, the audience were already in the hall!
10 five o’clock shadow
meaning: when a man’s facial hair starts showing a little bit when he hasn’t shaved since morning
use: Andy thinks he has five o’clock shadow, but I’m sure it’s just dirt.
11 make good time
meaning: travel quickly
use: Luckily there was no traffic, and we made good time to the border.
12 never in a month of Sundays
meaning: very, very unlikely to happen
use: Shelley will never in a month of Sundays agree to go out with Richard!
13 in the nick of time
meaning: at the last possible moment
use: Mum saw the plate falling and caught it in the nick of time.
14 once in a blue moon
meaning: very, very rarely
use: Once in a blue moon, I really feel like watching a musical, but generally I prefer action thrillers.
15 play for time
meaning: to purposely delay doing something, or do it more slowly than usual, so you have more time to decide what to do
use: When Dad asked Molly what happened to the window, she gave him a big hug and said how much she loved him. But she was just playing for time – I know she broke it!
16 since time immemorial
meaning: for a very, very long time; since before anyone can remember
use: Our school has had the same, ugly uniform since time immemorial.
17 a stitch in time saves nine
meaning: it is better to deal with problems immediately, otherwise they will get worse and take even longer to deal with
use: Andy and Alex should really break up if they argue so much. It will be painful, but a stitch in time saves nine, and it’s better to do it before they say something they can’t take back!
18 time flies
meaning: time passes surprisingly quickly
use: Time flies when you have three essays to write in a night.
19 time on your hands
meaning: a period when you have nothing to do
use: Grandma has a lot of time on her hands now she’s retired, so she volunteers at the SPCA.
20 time is money
meaning: time is valuable, and you shouldn’t waste it.
use: Why are you just sitting staring at the ceiling? Time is money! Get up and do something practical!
21 time is on my side
meaning: I have a lot of time to finish something
use: Since Mr Ng gave us an extension on that project, time is on my side, and I can make it really great.
22 to the end of time
meaning: forever
use: I will be a Justin Bieber fan to the end of time, even if he stops singing.
23 wasn’t born yesterday
meaning: not stupid or naive
use: I tried to trick my aunt into sticking her hand in a bag full of jelly, but she said she wasn’t born yesterday, and tipped it over my head!
Karly joined Young Post with a background in educational publishing, and a degree in law; a career in youth news and language education seemed the natural fit. She covers local education matters, news in education, English language learning, and everything teen-related.
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