Useful Idioms & Phrases related to time - Free English Lessons Video Lecture

hi this is Seema and today i will be
bringing you a new lesson on idioms
related to time well all of us know that
time is very precious most of us do not
have enough of time and some of us wish
we had more well there are lots of
expressions and idioms related to time
so here we are going to check out a few
so we do them real quick ok because we
have no time to lose the first one is in
the nick of time well once this phrase
mean in the nick of time is nothing but
doing or finishing something at the last
possible moment so for example you know
you were arriving for your exams which
must have begun say at around 9 o'clock
in the morning and you arrived at just
8:15 9 you know you're like in the nick
of time because you arrived or you did
something at the last possible moment
otherwise you would have been late so in
the nick of time is arriving at the last
possible moment
moving on to turn back the hands of time
well have you seen a clock yeah most of
you have so if you see the clock always
you know moves the hands of the clock
always move in the right direction if I
had to turn back the hands of time I
would literally have to you know reverse
the movement of the hands of the clock
sort of so turning back the hands of
time is nothing but indicating a desire
to go back to the past a desire to visit
your past
well this expression is mainly used in
regret it is mainly used when you're
kind of longing for something that was
you know way back in the past but you
don't have it anymore so I could say I
wish I could turn back the hands of time
and visit my childhood because childhood
is something that we all love or I could
say that I wish I could turn back the
hands of time and you know I have done
things differently because we've all
made a lot of mistakes so turning back
the hands of time indicates a desire to
visit the past and it normally is used
when you kind of regret your past
actions okay moving on to time flies
what is time flies mean well time does
not literally fly but time flies means
that time passes too quickly doesn't it
ever annoy you that you know whenever
you are having a good time you're here
you're the fun place or just you know
going for a party you know the time just
goes by and you don't know when it's
time to leave so that's what we mean by
time flies when time passes quickly
which which happens mostly in good you
know good times that's when you use this
this phrase moving on to save time we
all have heard about saving money saving
water saving our earth but what is
saving time saving time is nothing but
doing things are in a quicker way in a
quicker or a faster way and thereby you
know cutting on your time so well
suppose I walk to school every day and a
certain route that takes me to school
takes 40 minutes but if I want to save
time you know I can use I can walk
through like maybe another way maybe
through the woods and I could you know
reach school in 25 minutes so that way I
do things
or I walk the same you know on the same
to the same place but I do it in a much
quicker time so that's that's the way I
am saving time alright moving on to
spare time what is spare time means
spare time is nothing but free time so
spare time or free time as we call it is
nothing but time used to do something
when you are not working or not studying
so it is mainly time used for you know
recreational purposes or time to pursue
your hobbies so I could say that in my
spare time I indulge in reading English
or in my spare time I learn French or in
my spare time I play the guitar because
during my spare time I don't go to work
I don't study I don't I don't feed the
children I do what I want to do so it's
my something that I love to do it okay
it's my free time it's me time alright
moving on - as time goes by well this is
a phrase that is used to indicate the
passage of time so this indicates the
passage of time so I could say something
like as time you touch time goes by or
with the passage of time people tend to
change or with the passage of time
children tend to get naughty ah so
basically as time goes by refers to time
that is quickly moving and you're kind
of talking about the changes involved
when the time goes by well let's look at
a time for a change time for a change is
nothing but time to start something new
so you're looking to start something
completely different
so basically this phrase indicates that
you want to stop what you were doing all
this while and now it is time for a
change so maybe you were working in a
job for say like five years
you're totally stressed you're burnt out
and now you decide that it is time to
start something very new and therefore
you may say something like it's time for
a change let me get a new job okay
moving on to time is money time is money
indicates that time is a very valuable
commodity a lot of funds value our time
and therefore time is money money has
value and so it's time because a lot of
people waste our time sometimes and
therefore we use this phrase to show
that look you can't waste my time time
is money so in case somebody keeps you
waiting all day you could say something
like you can't keep me waiting all day
time is money it's very valuable to me
moving on to time heals all wounds
well the wounds in this phrase refers to
emotional hurt and not the physical ones
so time heals all wounds indicates that
you know time he raises or removes
emotional hurt or emotional scars so
sometimes you know when people go
through a lot of hardship in life and
they have a lot of problems you know you
tell them you pacify them telling them
that look time will heal all your wounds
which means that with the passage of
time or as time goes by like we learned
you know a while earlier time will you
know make them recover from their
emotional scars
so basically we're referring to
emotional hurts
pain struggles and not physical wounds
moving on - only time will tell
well sometimes you know we're not sure
of something we don't know the truth we
need to find out about what is going to
happen in the future
so only with the passage of time will we
know what's going to happen and that is
when we use the phrase only time will
tell so time will give us the idea or
truth in the future it's basically the
passage of time so as time goes by so
maybe you have a business ok you have a
business and you are you know you have a
project now and you give your idea so
does your colleague and only one idea is
going to be selected but both ideas are
considered as potential ones for a
particular project but you're not sure
whether yours is going to be selected or
not and that's when you say only time
will tell because you are not sure about
an idea or truth that is going to take
place in the future and that is when I
use the terminology only time will tell
this terminology is basically used when
you are uncertain about a certain thing
that's going to happen moving on to a
whale of a time a whale of a time is
nothing but a great time so so I am at a
party you know I'm having a lot of fun
so I say I am having a whale of a time I
went to my cousin's wedding the other
day and I had a whale of a time it
basically indicates a great time that we
have mainly a party time okay moving on
to a hard time well a hard time is
something none of us like to have a hard
time in decay
it's hardships struggles suffering
problems all of which we want to run
away from but unfortunately we all go
through a hard time so when you know
when we have emotional problems or when
we have you know a sudden demise in the
family or sudden loss of job or you know
a breakup in relationships we talk about
having a hard time because we're unable
to cope or it's very difficult for us to
cope with something and that's what hard
time means it is hardships sufferings
and problems well that's it for the
lesson on idioms related to time I'm
sure you are hard pressed for time so
please have a look at these idioms
practice them and use them as often as
you can because I'm sure all of you are
going to get a chance to do so you have
a very good day I'll see you soon
you