head of steam
4
7.0
- noun
- Informal
:
ímpetu
- She built up a full head of steam before presenting her project to the team.
- a full head of steam
- get a head of steam
- a big head of steam
Examples
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With the formation of numerous groups, the women's movement gained a full head of steam during the 1890s and early 1900s.
Blog text (15) -
I went into the premiere of my first film with critical head of steam behind it.
Blog text (4) -
I had a full head of steam then, and all.
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"I need the smoke sometimes to keep my internal engine running, to, as they say, get up a full head of steam."
Fiction book (2002) -
That head of steam only increased on my second film.
Blog text (4) -
A twenty-minute presentation should give her enough time to get up a good head of steam.
Fiction book (1992) -
Norman barely managed to squeeze in a "Hi" before Gerry Kriegel had a full head of steam.
Fiction book (2002) -
But I got up a head of steam and barreled right past them both, and what do you know—the woman from my AG never caught me again.
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Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Every big hurdle that was supposed to trip the Crimson Tide early has shrunk before they got to it, and that's helped a young defense gain a nice head of steam.
Blog text (34) -
I had started writing a list of family-friendly careers for women that allow them to build up a head of steam in their twenties and thirties so they can switch to freelance or part-time during child-bearing years.
Blog text (17)
Synonyms
1
4.1
A sudden strong feeling that makes you active and excited
Antonyms
How Energetic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The expression relies on a metaphorical extension: 'head' (here meaning an amount/pressure) combined with 'steam' (vapor/energy) can suggest built-up energy, but this requires recognizing a specialised sense of 'head' and mapping physical pressure to motivation. This mapping is partially clear to learners who know the words, yet the idiomatic sense of momentum/enthusiasm is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Head of steam comes from old steam engines. When steam built up it formed a head of pressure that pushed the engine to move, so the phrase now means 'a lot of energy or momentum'.