in high gear
4
4.4
- idiom
:
a toda velocidad
- Just leave it up to me and I'll have Ernesto up in high gear in no time.
- a career in high gear
- get in high gear
- metabolism in high gear
Examples
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Once we get a cash advance, we'd be in high gear.
-
The civil rights movement was in high gear, discussed by everyone I knew.
Fiction book (1996) -
I am not even in high gear yet.
-
Put it in high gear.
-
I was cruising along in high gear in my career.
Fiction book (1992) -
It sounds as if you are in high gear with new investigations that are risky and dangerous.
Blog text (4) -
The off-season adventures continue to chug along in high gear.
Blog text (23) -
Yes, there are hairpin turns and bumps along the way, but our team is in high gear and ready for the high-performance event.
Blog text (14) -
It was a great game across the board, with both the offense and defense in high gear and playing like the Super Bowl champions they are.
Blog text (30) -
With the new product launch approaching, our marketing team is operating in high gear to prepare.
Synonyms
12
5.8
A state of moving at the highest speed and with the most effort
1
7.0
A time when work becomes very fast and intense
1
3.5
Completely ready and working at full speed
1
3.8
A time when someone works at their highest speed or energy
1
5.6
With as much speed and effort as possible
Antonyms
2
3.2
A lower setting in a vehicle that gives more power and less speed for starting and climbing
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally composes as 'in' + 'high' + 'gear' (i.e., in a high-speed/mechanical setting), so a learner who knows 'gear' and 'high' can infer a sense of operating at greater speed. However, applying that mechanical sense metaphorically to projects or activities (i.e., progressing very rapidly) requires a conventional metaphorical mapping, so the relation is only partially predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase in high gear comes from machines and cars: when a gear is set to high, the engine and wheels turn faster and the machine moves more quickly. That's why in high gear now means 'working at top speed'.