to push it to the limit
1
7.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
llevarlo al límite
- There seems to be a deep need on the part of many to torture and push it to the limit with novel ways to enhance what is thought of as beauty: foot-binding, lip plates, neck rings, corsets, padding, higher and higher heels, and tattoos and piercings of the wildest variety.
Now, now that Ryzen is a thing and it doesn't suck, well now they're just pushing it to the limit because freaking Yolo man.
- Now, now that Ryzen is a thing and it doesn't suck, well now they're just pushing it to the limit because freaking Yolo man.
Examples
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She always pushes it to the limit during her training sessions, aiming to improve her performance.
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Look, Stan, the kid's pushing it to the limit.
-
Oligarchies and plutocracies always push it to the limit, and people do get to the point where they won't take it anymore.
Blog text (31) -
The problem with an ironclad rule "life begins at conception" is that, aside from the abortion issue, if you push it to the limit, it has some absurd consequences:
Blog text (29) -
There seems to be a deep need on the part of many to torture and push it to the limit with novel ways to enhance what's thought of as beauty: foot-binding, lip plates, neck rings, corsets, padding, higher and higher heels.
Blog text (5) -
During the marathon, I decided to push it to the limit and sprint the final stretch.
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To complete the project on time, we need to push it to the limit and work late into the night.
Synonyms
87
4.2
To use a lot of effort to do something difficult
39
4.1
To try as hard as you can with a lot of energy
39
5.3
To try very hard to do more than usual
33
7.3
To try new ideas that go beyond accepted limits
33
4.1
Make a strong physical or mental effort
27
4.9
Reach the highest level or amount
26
4.1
Try very hard to make something happen
17
5.2
Do everything possible to make something succeed
7
6.3
To drive or work as fast as possible, often to finish something
7
5.1
Make a person or thing work as hard as possible until they cannot keep going
5
7.3
Try something risky to get a big reward
4
3.4
To make someone or something work near its limits
4
3.5
Try much harder to work or train
1
6.3
To make someone work too hard until they are tired
1
5.9
To try very hard and do anything to achieve something
1
6.9
To make a big effort beyond your usual limits
1
7.2
Try as hard as possible to do something
To increase something to its highest or most extreme level
To work much harder and faster to get something done
To try very hard and work quickly to finish something
To use up all your energy or chances
Use all your energy at once and have none left in a rude way
To work very hard at something until you are very tired
To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired
Antonyms
How Extreme
56
3.2
- Informal
1
7.2
39
4.1
- Informal
39
5.3
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'push' (exert or apply force/effort) combined with 'limit' (maximum allowed or possible degree) yields the sense of exerting effort up to the maximum. The pronoun and function words ('it', 'to', 'the') do not obscure this structure, and the construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Push it to the limit comes from the image of pushing a machine or your own body until it cannot go any further. To push something to its limit means to use all your energy and risk breaking it, so the phrase now means 'to use all your energy or resources' or 'to take risks as far as possible'.