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May 16, 2024 · The phrase is commonly used when prompt action or decision-making is crucial. For example, in a sports game, a coach might say, "The clock is ticking," to motivate the team to score before the game ends. In short: It means that time is running out or a deadline is near. It conveys a sense of urgency.
- The Clock in Ticking Meaning
- Origin of The Clock Is Ticking
- Examples of The Clock Is Ticking
- More Examples
Definition:There’s not much time left; hurry up. This expression is an indirect way to urge someone to go faster. It reminds the person that there isn’t an infinite amount of time for something to happen.
It is unclear exactly when this idiom originated, but it started to increase in popularity around the second half of the 1900s. It most likely relates to the idea that a ticking clock reminds someone of the passage of time. It keeps them aware of managing their time efficiently.
In the dialogue below, two men use the idiom while on a fishing trip. Robert: We’ve been here for a day and a half, and we still haven’t caught anything! Marty: I know. You have to be patient. Sometimes the fish are biting, and sometimes they aren’t. If we stay here long enough, I’m sure we’ll catch something. Robert: I agree, but the clock is tick...
This excerpt is from a movie review. It says that the heroes need to hurry to beat the evil villain. 1. The clock is ticking, too, because the nefarious Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) has emerged from an ancient ocean slumber to terrorize the town, find an all-powerful crystal and steal enough gold to reform the enormous monster Goldar. –USA Today ...
Clock is ticking is an idiom that means one is running out of time, that not much time is left to accomplish something, or that a deadline is quickly approaching. It can refer to anything that is time sensitive such as sitting down for a family dinner, to infer a person is aging.
- English Teacher
The idiom “clock is ticking” implies a sense of urgency or pressure to act quickly before it’s too late. It can create a feeling of anxiety or stress for those who are aware that time is limited.
This allusion to a stopwatch is often used as an admonition to speed something up. It also is used in more specific form- one's biological clock is ticking -meaning that a woman may soon be too old to bear a child, as in Her biological clock is ticking-she just turned forty. See also: clock.
the clock is ticking. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English the clock is ticking used to say that there is not much time left to do something The clock is ticking for those who have not yet filled in their tax form. → clock. the clock is ticking meaning, definition, what is the clock is ticking: used to say that there is not much ...
The time (for something to be done) is passing quickly; hurry up. For example, The clock is ticking on that project . This allusion to a stopwatch is often used as an admonition to speed something up.
