slow off the mark
1
6.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
lento para reaccionar
- Although YellowSweets.com was the slowest off the mark in this experiment, it made a steady rise to the top and retained its position.
Examples
-
If you are slow off the mark in replying to emails, you might miss out on job opportunities.
-
Whoa, I was slow off the mark this time.
Blog text (6) -
More of us live alone than ever before, perhaps by unconscious calculation: attachment makes us a little slower off the mark when it comes time to move on to the next thing, and it is always time to move on to the next thing.
Academic text (2001) -
When it comes to making decisions, she is often slow off the mark, taking much longer than her colleagues.
-
He was slow off the mark in noticing the changes around him, missing important updates from the team.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Moving or happening at a low speed
3
3.5
Takes a long time to answer messages or questions
Antonyms
How Quick
- UK
1
5.4
- Informal
1
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The word 'slow' contributes its literal meaning, but 'off the mark' is a somewhat idiomatic unit (literally 'not on target' → figuratively 'late or inaccurate'), so the precise sense 'slow to start or react' is only partially recoverable from the parts. A B1 learner who knows 'slow', 'off' and 'mark' might infer a related idea (being late or not ready) but would probably need exposure to learn the conventional nuance.
Etymology
Slow off the mark comes from running races where each runner begins at a mark. If someone is off the mark they start late, so the phrase means 'slow to start' or 'slow to react'.