IdiomAnimals
English
Englishat a snail's pace
Meaning: Very slowly.
Example: “Traffic moved at a snail's pace all the way to the airport.”
Origin: Snails are the proverbial slow creature. The comparison is found in English from the 14th century.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Un train de sénateur Literally: A senator's pace
More English idioms
- no picnic Not easy or pleasant.
- a witch hunt A campaign to find and punish people, driven by fear or suspicion rather than evidence.
- a poisoned chalice Something that seems attractive but brings trouble to whoever accepts it.
- at the top of one's lungs As loudly as possible.
- Captain Obvious A mocking name for someone who states the obvious.
- think the moon is made of green cheese To be very gullible.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Iktsuarpok The restless anticipation that makes you keep stepping outside to see if someone is final…
- Meraki Pouring your soul, love, and creativity into whatever you do — cooking, art, anything.
- Mångata The shimmering, road-like reflection the moon casts across water.
Keep exploring