to peg the needle

9.4

Reach and stay at the highest level shown on a meter

idiom

Informal

: alcanzar el límite

During the race, his engine was pegging the needle at maximum RPM for almost the entire lap.

Examples

With sales pegging the needle this quarter, the team celebrated outstanding results.
If your stress levels peg the needle for too long, it's time to take a break.
During the race, his engine was pegging the needle for almost the entire lap.
He pegged the needle during the test!
The driver pegged the needle on the speedometer.
If your stress levels peg the needle, it's a sign that you need to find a way to relax.
With sales pegging the needle at record highs this quarter, the team celebrated their success.

Antonyms

to drop

∞ 1.0

To fall to a lower amount or level

to lower

802 1.0

Make something go down in position, amount, or strength

How High

to peg the needle

Informal

9.4

to skyrocket

52 4.1

climb

100 1.6

to rise

718 1.0

to increase

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

peg the needle infinitive

pegged the needle past

pegged the needle past participle

pegging the needle present participle

pegs the needle third person singular

Morphology

peg + the + needle

The meaning 'to reach or maintain the highest possible level' is partly derivable from combining 'peg' (to fix or set at a level) with 'needle' (a gauge pointer): the mental image of fixing a gauge needle at its maximum is compositional. However, the sense of 'peg' as 'set at a limit' is somewhat specialized and the usage is metaphorical/technical, so a B1 learner who knows the words may still not fully predict the idiomatic meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase peg the needle comes from old dials and meters where a small metal peg would stop the moving needle at the top. One popular story says the needle would hit the peg and stay stuck at the highest point, so today the phrase means 'to reach or stay at the maximum level'.