IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishfiring on all cylinders
Meaning: Working at full power and efficiency.
Example: “After a slow start, the team is firing on all cylinders.”
Origin: From car engines, which run best when every cylinder fires. The figurative use dates from the early 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: ir que chuta Literally: To go that it shoots
French: Être au taquet Literally: To be at the cleat
More English idioms
- strong as an ox Very strong.
- holy cow! An exclamation of surprise.
- go through the wringer To go through a very hard experience.
- go off on a tangent To wander away from the subject being discussed.
- strike out To fail completely, especially in an attempt to attract someone.
- clear as day Completely obvious.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A 'w/ch/ck' drill that accelerates comically — and nobody really knows the answer.
- The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. Believed by Guinness to be among the hardest in English — 'six/sick/sheikh/sheep' blur in…
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.
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