time thief
1
6.5
- noun
- Informal
:
ladrón de tiempo
- We have more tools than ever before, but very often the tools themselves can become a time thief.
Examples
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You're the big-time thief...
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"They said he was a time thief, that he stole Mr. Ford's time."
Fiction book (1999) -
Many people find social media to be a time thief that distracts them from important tasks.
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Emails can often be a time thief, taking away valuable moments without adding real value.
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If you want to be more productive, try to avoid activities that are simply time thieves.
Synonyms
1
8.3
A person or thing that wastes your time, often by interrupting your work
Something that wastes a lot of your time
Antonyms
- Specialized
211
4.0
How much work, goods, or services are produced for the time and effort used
How Time-Wasting
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly inferable by combining 'time' (a span of duration) with 'thief' (someone who steals) to yield 'something that steals your time' — i.e. a time-waster. This metaphorical compounding is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily deduce the intended sense.
Etymology
Time thief shows a simple image: a thief stealing your time like a valuable thing. So it means someone or something that 'wastes your time' or is a 'distraction'.