at full tilt
Meaning: At full speed or with full force.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The factory is running at full tilt before the holidays.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From medieval jousting: to "tilt" was to charge at an opponent with a lance, and "full tilt" was the fastest charge. The phrase is found from the 17th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Spanish: a uña de caballo — literally: at horse's hoof
- Spanish: a todo mecate — literally: at full rope
- Italian: a gambe levate — literally: at raised legs
- French: En quatrième vitesse — literally: In fourth gear
More idioms — Daily Life
- my bad — My mistake; sorry.
- drive someone up the wall — To annoy someone intensely.
- right up one's alley — Exactly suited to someone's interests or skills.
- have the luck of the devil — To be extraordinarily lucky.
- take a hike — Go away; get lost.
- nobody's fool — A sensible person who is not easily tricked.
More English idioms
- freeze one's butt off — To be extremely cold.
- be in clover — To live in comfort and luxury.
- go downhill — To get steadily worse.
- hightail it — To leave in a great hurry.
- diddly-squat — Nothing at all.
- have a nerve — To be rude or bold in a way that shocks others.