put the pedal to the metal
Meaning: To accelerate a vehicle to maximum speed, or more figuratively, to exert maximum effort.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: The Absurd
Origin: Originates from mid-twentieth-century American driving culture; the gas pedal sits directly above the metal floorboard or frame of a car.
More idioms — The Absurd
- mugged by reality — To experience a sudden, brutal confrontation with harsh truth after living in comfortable…
- spin one's wheels — To work hard without making any real progress toward a goal.
- tenir du miracle — To be exceptional or extraordinary; to have a miraculous quality.
- se mettre la rate au court-bouillon — To worry pointlessly and obsessively over something.
- faire fureur — To provoke great enthusiasm or widespread popularity.
- être victime de son succès — To suffer problems or difficulties that arise as a result of becoming too successful.
More English idioms
- donkey's ears — A very long time; ages.
- soft underbelly — A point of vulnerability or weakness in something otherwise strong or well-defended.
- long fuse — A personality trait of being slow to anger; patience before losing one's temper.
- long pork — Human flesh, especially as food.
- bow out — To resign or withdraw from a situation while preserving one's dignity and reputation.
- long shot — Something unlikely to succeed or happen; a bet or venture with very poor odds.
From our untranslatable words
- Weltschmerz — The weariness and sadness you feel when the world as it is falls painfully short of the w…
- Torschlusspanik — The anxious fear that time is running out — that the gates of opportunity, youth, or life…
- Kummerspeck — The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heart…