Time Idioms
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Meaning: A small sign or hint that something is about to happen.
Example: The empty tables on a Friday night were a straw in the wind that the restaurant's busy season was fading. Read more ➺
Meaning: Stay ready and hold back your resources until the right moment.
Example: House prices still looked high, so Mike decided to keep your powder dry and wait for a better opening. Read more ➺
Meaning: Stuck doing the same things over and over until life starts to feel dull and stuck.
Example: After ten years at the same desk doing the same work, Mike admitted he was in a rut and began looking for something new. Read more ➺
Meaning: The carefree stretch is finished and it is time to face reality or own up to what comes next.
Example: After three years of fat bonuses and late nights out, the new boss walked in and everyone felt it at once — the party is over. Read more ➺
Meaning: To get off your phone or computer and actually go outside for a while
Example: Jake had been arguing in comment threads since breakfast, so Mike finally told him to touch grass and take a walk around the park. Read more ➺
Meaning: Something or someone that shines for a moment but is weak and can be wiped out at any time.
Example: After the bigger company entered the deal, Jake knew his small shop was a candle in the wind. Read more ➺
Meaning: When you just barely succeed at something, usually because you left almost no time or room for anything to go wrong.
Example: We left the house with only ten minutes to spare and really cut it close, sliding into our seats just as the movie trailers started rolling. Read more ➺
Meaning: The slow way a material gradually changes shape when it's kept under constant pressure or stress, even at fairly low temperatures.
Example: Under constant load the metal slowly began to bend—cold creep was clearly at work. Read more ➺
Meaning: A life-changing experience that shapes a person's character or future.
Example: Failing his first driving test became a canon event that made him a more careful driver. Read more ➺
Meaning: The greatest person ever in a particular field or activity.
Example: Tom is often called the GOAT in football because of his many championships. Read more ➺
