Time idioms

27 time idioms with what each one means. Tap one for its origin, examples and a quick check.

At the drop of a hat
If you do something at the drop of a hat, you do it immediately and without hesitation, with almost no reason or warning.
Better late than never
Better late than never means it is better to do something late than not to do it at all.
Clean slate
A clean slate is a fresh start, with past mistakes, debts or problems forgotten or set aside.
Cut to the chase
To cut to the chase means to skip the unnecessary details and get straight to the most important point.
Down to the wire
If something goes down to the wire, it is not decided or finished until the very last moment.
Few and far between
Things that are few and far between are rare and do not happen or appear very often.
Hit the hay
To hit the hay means to go to bed or go to sleep.
Hit the sack
To hit the sack means to go to bed, usually because you are tired.
Hold your horses
Hold your horses means wait a moment, slow down and don't rush into something.
In the nick of time
In the nick of time means just in time, at the last possible moment before something bad would have happened.
Jump the gun
To jump the gun is to do something too soon, before the right time or before you have all the facts.
Long in the tooth
If someone or something is long in the tooth, they are getting old, often too old for a particular role or use.
On the dot
On the dot means at exactly the stated time, not a minute early or late.
Once in a blue moon
Once in a blue moon means very rarely; something that happens once in a blue moon almost never happens.
One fell swoop
If you do several things in one fell swoop, you do them all at once, in a single quick action.
Out of the blue
Something that happens out of the blue happens suddenly and unexpectedly, with no warning at all.
Play it by ear
To play it by ear is to decide what to do as things happen, instead of making a fixed plan ahead of time.
Rome wasn't built in a day
Rome wasn't built in a day means big, important things take time and patience to achieve.
Salad days
Your salad days are your youth, especially a time when you were young and inexperienced, or a past period of great success.
Set in stone
If something is set in stone, it is fixed and cannot be changed.
Sleep on it
If you sleep on it, you wait until the next day before making a decision, so you have time to think.
So far so good
So far so good means things have gone well up to now, though the job or situation is not finished yet.
Take a rain check
If you take a rain check, you politely turn down an invitation now but suggest you would like to accept it another time.
Till the cows come home
Till the cows come home means for a very long time, often endlessly or forever.
Time flies
Time flies means time seems to pass very quickly, often faster than you expected.
Up in the air
If something is up in the air, it has not been decided yet and is still uncertain.
Water under the bridge
Something that is water under the bridge happened in the past and is no longer worth worrying or arguing about.

Time idioms

More idioms by topic