flat out
Meaning: As fast or as hard as possible.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The team has been working flat out to finish on time.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Perhaps from racing, with the throttle pressed flat or a horse stretched flat at full gallop. The phrase is found from the early 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: was das Zeug hält — literally: what the stuff holds
- French: Tout schuss — literally: All shot
More idioms — Daily Life
- can't carry a tune in a bucket — Sings very badly.
- a smash hit — To be a huge success.
- firing on all cylinders — Working at full power and efficiency.
- by the bucketload — In large quantities.
- trouble in paradise — Problems in a relationship or situation that seemed perfect.
- no ifs, ands, or buts — Without any excuses or exceptions.
More English idioms
- beat someone to a pulp — To beat someone very severely.
- strong as an ox — Very strong.
- fall on hard times — To become poor or suffer misfortune.
- a nasty piece of work — An unpleasant, cruel or dishonest person.
- holy cow! — An exclamation of surprise.
- good riddance — Said when one is glad to be rid of someone or something.
From our proverbs
- For want of a nail the shoe is lost; for want of a shoe the horse is lost; for want of a horse the rider is lost. — Small negligences compound catastrophically; ignoring minor problems cascades into comple…
- War, hunting, and law, are as full of trouble as pleasure. — Life's most engaging pursuits inevitably mix hardship with satisfaction, demanding we acc…
- Who preacheth war is the devil's chaplain. — Advocating violence serves evil's purposes, regardless of one's stated justifications or…