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Glite Dictionary
to bucket along

to bucket along

7.8
To move quickly by car or on foot
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : ir rápido
  • We bucketed along the highway, excited to reach the concert on time.

Examples

  • She bucketed along the busy streets, eager to catch the bus before it left.

  • As Bill's ancient car bucketed along the narrow lane out of Foss Creek, Slim was unusually silent.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The children bucketed along the path to the playground as the sun began to set.

Synonyms

to rush
vsto bucket along
548 1.0

To move or act quickly because a situation needs it

emphasizes fast travel rather than urgency or attack
to speed
vsto bucket along
137 1.0

To move or travel quickly, often faster than allowed

is similar but applies equally to foot or vehicle motion
to race
vsto bucket along
91 1.0

To move or work very quickly to reach a goal

is about high speed movement rather than goal pursuit
to step on it
vsto bucket along
  • Informal
35 5.2

To hurry and go faster, often when driving

describes fast movement itself rather than urging speed
to hasten
vsto bucket along
7 3.9

Move quickly to do something

centres on high speed travel rather than acting hurriedly
to hie
vsto bucket along
  • Archaic
2 9.9

To go quickly to a place, often used in old writing

is the common modern phrase for fast movement in plain speech
to hotfoot
vsto bucket along
  • Informal
1 7.7

To move quickly on foot

includes both running and vehicle motion, not just on foot
to rush along
vsto bucket along
1 2.7

To move quickly in one direction

focuses more on high speed than on hurried direction
to belt along
vsto bucket along
  • Informal
6.0

To move very quickly, usually by running or driving

moves quickly or at high speed without stressing extra force
to cannonball along
vsto bucket along
  • Informal
7.1

To move very quickly in a straight, forceful way

moves quickly without implying such direct forcefulness
to pelt along
vsto bucket along
  • Informal
8.0

Move very fast along a street or path

is broader, covering fast movement by any means

Antonyms

lag
46 4.1

A period of time when something happens later than expected

crawl
23 1.2

A slow movement made by moving on hands and knees or by dragging the body

How Fast

sprint
55 2.1
to bucket along
  • UK
7.8
to run
∞ 1.0
to hurry
∞ 1.0
to walk
∞ 1.0
to amble
15 4.8

Surface Forms

bucket along infinitive
bucketed along past
bucketed along past participle
bucketting along present participle
buckets along third person singular

Morphology

bucket + along

There is no transparent link between 'bucket' (a container; no verb sense provided) and 'along' (moving beside or following a line) that would yield the sense 'to move quickly'. Because 'bucket' is not clearly used as a motion verb here and the rapid-motion meaning is unpredictable from the parts, a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The verb bucket along may come from the picture of a person carrying a heavy bucket and hurrying so it does not spill, with the bucket bouncing as they rush. So, to 'bucket along' came to mean 'to move quickly', often in a noisy or clumsy way.