top gear
1
3.8
- noun
- Informal
:
máxima eficiencia
- One big element of modern vehicle fuel economy is severe overdrive ratios in top gear.
Examples
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As the launch date approached, the marketing team went into top gear to ensure everything was ready.
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In top gear, you sure left us in the dust!
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Indeed it's not a time for modesty, and as Christmas approaches, you'll be moving into top gear.
Blog text (2) -
"We just had to go into top gear, really—just 24/7, dealing with it," Mr. Brustein said.
Academic text (2017) -
The event planning kicked into top gear when they realized how many attendees would be coming.
-
With the deadline looming, the writers put their work into top gear to finish the project on time.
Synonyms
13
3.7
A forward setting in a vehicle that lets it go fastest with low engine speed
12
5.8
A state of moving at the highest speed and with the most effort
4
6.5
A gear in a car that lets it go faster using less engine power
4
4.4
Working very fast and doing everything needed
Antonyms
2
3.2
A lower setting in a vehicle that gives more power and less speed for starting and climbing
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly built from 'top' (highest) + 'gear' (a setting or speed in a vehicle/mechanism), so its literal sense 'highest gear' easily yields the extended meaning 'highest speed or level of performance.' This compositional, vehicle-based metaphor is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase top gear comes from cars, where a gear is a part that controls speed and the top gear is the highest setting for maximum speed and efficiency. So, being in top gear means working at your 'best' or moving at your 'fastest'.