Englishhave time to kill
Meaning: To have a period of time to pass while waiting for some future event.
Example: “With two hours to kill before the flight, we wandered the shops.”
Origin: Reverses a relationship that most of the language runs the other way. Time is ordinarily the thing that destroys — Ovid called it the devourer of all things, and English has time wearing down, eating away, taking its toll, and running out on people who can do nothing about it. Killing time inverts that entirely, casting the person as the aggressor and time as something that can be attacked, which is a small and rather defiant piece of revenge on the one force that eventually wins. The expression is attested in English from the 1700s, and French built the same figure independently in tuer le temps. The phrase is only ever used of intervals that are both empty and imposed, which is precisely when time becomes an adversary.
More English idioms
- to beat the band In an exaggerated manner; with a lot of effort or to the extreme.
- to the hilt To be fully committed to something; to do something completely.
- train of thought A course of reasoning; a succession of connected ideas.
- treat someone to something To buy something for another person.
- troubled waters Emotionally rough times or an unsettled situation.
- true blue Loyal and steadfast.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Koselig Warmth, intimacy and ease at once — a room, a meal or an evening can be koselig, and so c…
- Harryhandel The day trip over the border into Sweden to buy meat, sweets and drink far cheaper than a…
- Matpakke The plain packed lunch of open sandwiches in paper, eaten at your desk — a small national…
Keep exploring