against time
Before it's late
Against time describes an effort made under urgent deadline pressure, where success depends on finishing before time runs out.
A race against time emphasizes the stakes: failure to complete the task quickly enough will result in some negative consequence.
Rescue workers dug through the rubble against time, hoping to find survivors.
The phrase frames time itself as an adversary to be beaten rather than simply a neutral dimension in which events occur.
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- deadlineTime limit for completion
- zero hourScheduled start of action
- eleventh hourLatest possible time
- schedulingAssigning times to events
race · speedrun · sprint · haste · rush · down to the wire · ticking clock · last-minute · under the gun · do or die · urgency · efficiency · competition · pressure cooker · challenge · wire to wire · prioritization · contest
- time pressurerush, rushed, clock is ticking, urgency, deadline
- time sayingscarpe diem, seize the day, better late than never, tempus fugit, haste makes waste