Time On Your Hands? Idioms of Time

Time is very important in North America. We spend a lot of time thinking about time, talking about time, and even losing track of time, especially if we are having a good time. Most us don't have enough time to do the things we'd like to do and wish we had more spare time.  Instead of feeling like we have a lot of time on our hands, we frequently complain that we're out of time, or pressed for time.

If you have spent any time with North Americans, you may have noticed just how many expressions and idioms we have that use the word "time" or that relate to time in one way or another. It's worth your time to learn a few of them.  Every time you use one of these expressions, you'll sound more fluent and natural, so  it won't be a waste of your time to  put in the time practicing how to use them in conversation.  

Expressions of Time: 

 

time on your hands: When you have time on your hands, you are not busy. You have some free time and are available to do something. Sometimes we say people have too much time on their hands.
 

Example: " Let me help you with your project. I've finished all my work and I have some time on my hands." 

spare time: The expression "spare time" means the same thing as "free time." This is the time when we are not busy with school, work, or doing chores. 

Example: In my spare time, I enjoy reading books, or working in my garden. 

to save time:
We save time when we do something the fast way instead of the usual way. 

Example:  "It will take us an hour to walk home. Let's save time and take the bus". 

time for a change It is time for a change when you need to stop doing what you are doing and do some thing else with your life.

Example:You've been working at that company for ten years. It's time for a  change.

Time flies::
We say time flies when we want to say time passes surprisingly quickly.  We are surprised that so much time         
Example:  
" I can't believe your daughter is in university. How time flies"   "I never seem to finish my work. The time just flies."  

"Time flies when you're having fun." is one of the most commonly used expressions in English. 

to lose track of time: 
We lose track of time when we are unaware of what time it is because we are too busy doing something else.

Examples: I always lose track of time when I'm on the the computer. I even forget to eat. 

I'm sorry I was late for dinner.  I was so busy at work that I completely lost track of time

it's about time:
The expression "it's about time" means " Finally something you wanted to happen, or expected to happen as happened. You are happy about it.    

Example: It's about time  you two got married! You've been together for 10 years. 

on time: 
Being on time means not being late. You arrive at the right time.

Example: Most of my students arrive on time for their classes, but a few come in late. 

Run out of time

You have run out of time when there is no time left to finish the activity you are doing. We frequently use the expression  you're running out of time when we want to warn people that there is very little time left to finish something.

Example:  I'm sorry , we've run out of time on the exam. Please hand in your papers.

to make time:
We make time when we find time in our busy schedule to do something. We make sure we are not doing anything else at that time. 

Example:My boss said he would make time to see me about my proposal at four o'clock.

time is money:
This is a famous expression that means your time is very valuable,                               

 Example:    Let's finish this meeting as quickly as possible. Time is money. I'm a busy an and I have a lot to do today.

behind the times:
If you are behind the times, you are old fashioned, not modern. You don't think or behave the way most people do now.  

Example:  My dad is completely behind the times. He still listens to the Beatles. 

in the nick of time:
You are in the nick of time when you do something just before it is too late.  

Example:  We got to the departure gate for our flight just in the nick of time. The plane was about to take off without us. 

to kill time 
When we kill time, we do something that is not very interesting or important just to pass the time while we are waiting for something more interesting to do. We often do this while we are waiting for something to happen.

Example:   The movie doesn't start for another hour. Why don't we kill time by doing some window shopping.

to hit the big time: You hit the big time when you become unusually successful. rich or famous..

Example:My friend John used to be a waiter, but he finally got a job in a successful movie and now he's hit the big time. He's going to be star. 

to be pressed for time: You are pressed for time when you don't have much time to do something You are in a hurry.

Example: I can only talk to you for a few minutes because I'm pressed for time. I need to be at the doctor's office by four o'clock. 

to make up for lost time: We make up for lost time when we feel we have wasted time and need to hurry in order to achieve or finish something.

Examples: They  married late, but made up for lost time by having children right away.

                    We're behind schedule. We'll have to make up for lost time by working late. 
 

to have the time of one's life: 
You have the time of your life when you have a fantastic experience.

Example: My children had the time of their lives when we went to Disneyland

for the time being: This means  temporarily, for the present moment. 

Example: We have no extra money, so for the time being, we can't move to a nicer apartment.

to live on borrowed time:
This expression means you live a dangerous lifestyle, or do things that are dangerous to your  heal

Example:   " People who smoke a lot are just living on borrowed time. They could get cancer any time.  . 

a waste of time:
We say something is a waste of time, or that we waste time if we don't spend our time on something useful. 

Example:  Stop wasting time playing those video games. It's time to do your homework.

to lose time: 
We use this expression to say we spent too much time doing something, so we couldn't finish something else, 

Example:  We lost time trying to find a colour that matched the house, so now we’re behind schedule..
from time to time: This expression means occasionally, once in a while.

Example:  I like to get together with my friends from time to time and go out for a drink.

the time is right:
We say the time is right when it is a good time to do something. 
Example: The time is right to invest in a house because real estate prices are low now.

time off: 
This is a time when we don't have to work.

Example: I asked my boss for some time off so that I could pick up my mother up at the airport.




Put in time: 
When you put in time, you spend a lot of time doing something important.

Example: He is such a good pianist because he puts in the time practicing. 
                The house looks beautiful after all that time you put in renovating it.

Worth one's Time: 
We use the expression it's worth your time when we want to say you won't be sorry, or you won't regret it. You will be get some benepfit from spending your time this way.

Example: If you want to learn more abouot what is going on arond the world, it's worth your time to read the newspaper or watch the news on TV.  


Time Out:
When you take time out, you pause, or stop from doing something( such as work, or a sport to have a break.


Example:  When the score in the hockey game was tied, the coach called for a "time out" in order to talk to his players. 

When the time is ripe:
 We say "when the time is ripe" when we mean something will happen at the correct, or time that it should happen.

Example: I told my daughter to stop worrying about getting a boyfriend and that she would find one when the time was ripe

Practice with an online quiz    
 Idioms of Time Quiz 1 

Can you make your own sentences or questions with some of these idioms?     

 Write a few on the comments page.

Learn How to Speak Conversational English

A few days ago I had a long conversation with a foreign-trained pharmacist from Egypt. Ahmed has recently passed the Canadian and B.C. Pharmacy Board exams and is currently doing an internship at my local pharmacy A long time pharmacist in Egypt, he is very close to achieving his goal of practicing his own profession in Canada. In addition to having passed the board exams, he has achieved the required high reading and writing scores on his IELTs language test. Currently, all he has to do is Improve his listening and speaking skills and do well on his internship. Both of these tasks are well within his reach.

Now, I have absolutely no doubt that Ahmed is going to be a wonderful pharmacist once he gets his license. During our interview, during which we reviewed all of my various medications, I learned more about the pros and cons of my medications than I ever did from any of the dozen pharmacists I have dealt with in the past 20 years. But, I discovered something else that really made me think.

As we were speaking, I used several very common health related expressions that any average customer would use at a pharmacy. For example, I mentioned that I had been run down lately, and was all stuffed up. Although he spoke very clearly and used some excellent academic vocabulary, Ahmed had absolutely no idea what either of those expressions meant.

Now, Ahmed could have done one of two things; he could have ignored what I said and talked about something else, or he could have asked me specifically what those two expressions meant. Happily, he did exactly what I am constantly trying to encourage my students to do. He chose the second option.

After I finished explaining what run down and stuffed up mean, we continued to discuss the kinds of idiomatic expressions he might hear from his customers in his role as a pharmacist. As we were finishing up, Ahmed pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote down the four or five expressions he had learned. He, then asked me where he might find more so that he could practice.

Although I was thrilled that Ahmed was genuinely interested in learning more of these common expressions, I was concerned that he had never learned any of them during his several years studying English.

" I really didn't think they were very important," he told me. " My focus was on learning the academic words I would be tested on in exams. Besides, like many students in the academic ESL stream, I really thought that little phrasal verbs and expressions like run down were only used by people who did not have much education or vocabulary. Of course, now I realize how wrong I was. Everybody talks like that here. I should have learned and practiced some of this natural language when I was in school."

I agree with Ahmed. He should have done exactly that and so should all the other academic stream students who don’t think it is necessary, or important to learn conversational English or phrasal verbs. Many of our adult immigrants who have been influenced by the teachers in their own countries need to pay attention to the language they hear around them. If they did, they might notice that even the most educated of people use conversational English expressions even during their professional working hours

Teachers cannot provide their students with all the necessary natural vocabulary they will need, especially when they are trying to teach reading, writing, grammar, listening, speaking and pronunciation in two and half hour classes. But they certainly can encourage students to truly learn and actively use all those phrasal verbs we use every day. Learners also need to start taking some responsibility for their own learning, and start checking out the internet for idiomatic language related to their own fields. If they have begun to work with English they need to ask what these expressions mean instead of pretending to understand. Yes, it is embarrassing to have to ask what something means, but it’s a whole lot better to experience 10 seconds of embarrassment than to make mistakes that could have long term results. Asking means everybody wins and winning makes us feel good.