fast lane
2
2.8
- noun
- /fæst leɪn/
:
carril rápido
- Being behind someone who is driving slowly in the fast lane on the interstate!
- cars in the fast lane
Examples
-
You can think of the fast lane dragging the slower cars along with them, or conversely, you can think of the slow lane slowing down the faster cars.
Blog text (21) -
How do you drive for thirty years and not know the left lane is the fast lane?
-
The cars passing by have returned to their traveling speeds but still follow each other in single file, staying in the fast lane.
Fiction book (1998) -
We want to use the fast lane to pass slower drivers, but we won't move over for others.
-
Many drivers get frustrated when stuck behind slow vehicles in the fast lane.
-
He switched to the fast lane to overtake the slower traffic ahead.
-
During rush hour, the fast lane is often congested despite its intended purpose.
Antonyms
How Fast
2
2.8
1
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
fast + lane
The meaning 'the part of a road designated for faster vehicles' is directly and compositionally derived from 'fast' (moving quickly) modifying 'lane' (a division of a road). This simple adjective + noun structure follows normal English composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE.
Etymology
Fast lane is the road lane where fast cars drive to pass slower traffic, often the lane furthest from the road edge. So it means 'the part of a road for faster vehicles'.