double time
2
2.9
- idiom
- /ˈdʌbəl taɪm/
:
a toda velocidad
- The team will work double time to meet the deadline for the report.
- work in double time
Examples
-
Florence and the boys are out there workin' double time, sir.
-
She flashes a photo badge and double-times inside.
Fiction book (1997) -
All that matters now is that you feel what you're doing is right, to protect yourself and your family. Good luck, and may the naysayers only encourage you to prep double time. Stay safe!!
Blog text (28) -
We'd have to get every machine going double time, and we'd need people unloading and reloading a fleet of trucks.
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If we move double time, we can finish the project today.
-
During the busy season, the staff needs to operate double time to handle the increased customer demand.
Synonyms
27
3.7
Very quickly and without delay
5
3.9
Very quickly, often when someone talks or acts
1
3.9
Much quicker than normal for the same thing
Very quick, as when soldiers march at twice the normal speed
Very fast, without delay
Happening or done extremely fast
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'at twice the normal speed' is directly compositional from 'double' (twice/twofold) + 'time' (tempo/pace), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's sense. Although 'time' can have a specialized musical sense, the notion of tempo/pace is common cross-linguistically and follows a regular English pattern (adjective + time → rate), making this expression transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Double time in music and speech comes from the idea of doing the same beat twice as fast. Because double makes the time twice as quick, it now means 'very quickly' or 'at twice the speed'.