Idioms are like secret codes in the English language. They’re phrases where the words together have a different meaning than the individual words by themselves. Think of it as a shortcut that native speakers use to express an idea in a colorful and interesting way. Learning idioms helps you understand what people really mean, even if the words sound strange at first.
This article will focus on idioms related to the idea of “slow.” Understanding these expressions will help you grasp the nuances of how people describe things that are moving slowly, thinking slowly, or developing slowly. By mastering these idioms, you’ll sound more natural and understand English speakers much better!
Idioms for Slow
1. At a snail’s pace
Meaning: Moving extremely slowly.
In a Sentence: Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace on the highway this morning. / Progress on the project is happening at a snail’s pace.
Other Ways to Say: Very slowly / At a very leisurely pace / Like molasses
2. Drag one’s feet
Meaning: To do something slowly or reluctantly because you don’t want to do it.
In a Sentence: The company is dragging its feet on implementing the new safety regulations. / He’s dragging his feet about cleaning his room.
Other Ways to Say: Stall / Delay / Procrastinate
3. Slow as molasses in January
Meaning: Extremely slow, referring to the thickness of molasses in cold weather.
In a Sentence: He’s as slow as molasses in January when understanding new concepts. / The internet connection here is as slow as molasses in January.
Other Ways to Say: Very slow / Extremely sluggish / At a snail’s pace
4. Behind the curve
Meaning: Not up-to-date or lagging behind in development or knowledge.
In a Sentence: If we don’t invest in new technology, we’ll fall behind the curve. / She was behind the curve in understanding the social media trends.
Other Ways to Say: Out of touch / Lacking the latest information / In the past
5. Take one’s sweet time
Meaning: To do something very slowly, often annoyingly so.
In a Sentence: He was taking his sweet time getting ready, and we were late. / The waiter was taking his sweet time bringing our food.
Other Ways to Say: Go slowly / Proceed without hurry / Linger
6. In slow motion
Meaning: Happening very slowly or deliberately, like a video played in slow motion.
In a Sentence: The accident seemed to happen in slow motion. / He watched the ball fall in slow motion.
Other Ways to Say: At reduced speed / In a delayed manner / Gradual
7. Like watching paint dry
Meaning: Extremely boring and slow.
In a Sentence: Sitting through that lecture was like watching paint dry. / The meeting was so dull, it felt like watching paint dry.
Other Ways to Say: Very boring / Tedious / Uninteresting
8. Slow off the mark
Meaning: Taking a long time to react or understand something.
In a Sentence: He’s a bit slow off the mark in the mornings before his coffee. / The team was slow off the mark at the start of the game.
Other Ways to Say: Slow to respond / Unresponsive / Not quick to react
9. Gear down
Meaning: To slow down or reduce activity.
In a Sentence: As I approach retirement, I need to gear down. / Let’s gear down our efforts this week; we’ve been working hard.
Other Ways to Say: Calm down / Relax / Wind down
10. Come to a crawl
Meaning: To slow down to a very slow pace or stop completely.
In a Sentence: The traffic came to a crawl due to an accident. / Negotiations have come to a crawl.
Other Ways to Say: Stop completely / Slow to a standstill / Almost stop
11. Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Meaning: Not very intelligent or quick-witted.
In a Sentence: He’s a nice guy, but he’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. / Sometimes, I feel like I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed when trying to fix my computer.
Other Ways to Say: Not very bright / Not very intelligent / A little slow
12. Slow burn
Meaning: Something that develops gradually and slowly, but intensely over time.
In a Sentence: Their relationship was a slow burn, starting as friends and gradually becoming romantic. / The movie was a slow burn, building to a climax.
Other Ways to Say: Gradual development / Growing intensity / Unfolding slowly
13. Take a backseat
Meaning: To allow something to become less important or have less priority.
In a Sentence: My personal life had to take a backseat while I finished my project. / I’ll have to let my hobbies take a backseat for a while.
Other Ways to Say: Become less important / Have lower priority / Be secondary
14. Behind schedule
Meaning: Lacking time, or not on-time.
In a Sentence: The project is behind schedule because of the unexpected delays. / We are behind schedule.
Other Ways to Say: Very late / Never on-time / Slow
15. Slow on the uptake
Meaning: Slow to understand something.
In a Sentence: He’s slow on the uptake sometimes, but he eventually gets it. / I’m always a little slow on the uptake in the mornings until I have my coffee.
Other Ways to Say: Slow to understand/ Takes a while to get it / Not the quickest learner
16. One step at a time
Meaning: To do something gradually, focusing on one thing at a time.
In a Sentence: Don’t try to learn everything at once; just take it one step at a time. / Let’s tackle this problem one step at a time.
Other Ways to Say: Gradually / Little by little / Slowly but surely
17. Wait a beat
Meaning: To pause or wait for a short amount of time.
In a Sentence: Wait a beat before answering, and think carefully about the question. / Wait a beat; I need to find my keys.
Other Ways to Say: Wait a moment / Pause / Hold on
18. Slow as a wet week
Meaning: An Australian expression meaning very slow.
In a Sentence: The internet here is as slow as wet week. / He drives as slow as a wet week, you’ll need to be patient.
Other Ways to Say: Extra slow / Very boring / Tedious
19. Slow it down
Meaning: To go slow, be patient and take time to understand.
In a Sentence: Slow it down, I can’t keep up! / This is a lot to take in, slow it down.
Other Ways to Say: To gradually slow down / To not go too fast / Hold on
20. Go at your own pace
Meaning: To do something at a speed that is comfortable for you.
In a Sentence: Don’t worry about the others, just go at your own pace in this course. / As long as you go at your own pace.
Other Ways to Say: Go slow / No rush / As you like
21. A watched pot never boils
Meaning: Time seems to move very slowly when you are waiting for something.
In a Sentence: Be patient, a watched pot never boils. / I feel time moving slower and slower, a watched pot never boils.
Other Ways to Say: Have patience / Stay calm / It will be done when it is done
22. Make haste slowly
Meaning: A reminder to proceed carefully and deliberately, even when urgency is needed.
In a Sentence: Remember: make haste slowly. You need a job, but it has to be a suitable job. / Make haste slowly or you will regret the decision.
Other Ways to Say: Be patient / Proceed carefully / A reminder
23. At a low ebb
Meaning: Going through a period of weakness or inactivity.
In a Sentence: The business is currently at a low ebb due to the economic downturn. / Sales are at a low ebb this month.
Other Ways to Say: Going badly / Lacking something / Not at a good point
24. Ground to a halt
Meaning: To gradually slow down and then stop completely.
In a Sentence: The project eventually ground to a halt due to lack of funding. / Production ground to a halt.
Other Ways to Say: Stopped altogether / Completely stopped / Failed
25. Taking its time
Meaning: Proceeding without hurry.
In a Sentence: The building works are taking their time, I can’t believe it’s still not done. / The new law is really taking its time.
Other Ways to Say: Going slow / Never ending / On going
26. The wheels are turning
Meaning: Is thinking about something or making progress towards something.
In a Sentence: Don’t worry, the wheels are turning and we will have a solution soon. / Let me have some time and I promise the wheels are turning and I will return.
Other Ways to Say: They are thinking / There is progress / In motion
27. Not going anywhere fast
Meaning: Not progressing quickly, or making any improvement.
In a Sentence: If you keep working like you are you are not going anywhere fast. / You need to study hard to succeed, you are not going anywhere fast.
Other Ways to Say: Not progressing / Stagnating / Slow to improve
28. Slow the flow
Meaning: To control and slow work processes.
In a Sentence: Slow the flow on the production line. / If you see people working too fast slow the flow.
Other Ways to Say: Reduce the process / Make the process lighter / Easy does it
29. Behind the times
Meaning: Old or out dated
In a Sentence: Using a type writer in this day and age, you are behind the times. / Our equipment is behind the times.
Other Ways to Say: Behind / Not on trend / Out-dated
30. In the slow lane
Meaning: Not moving or progressing fast
In a Sentence: I want to find a role when I retire, the slow lane does not appeal to me. / This job puts me in the slow lane.
Other Ways to Say: Not challenging / Not worth it / Doesn’t appeal
31. Low gear
Meaning: A vehicle moving slowly or an individual working at a reduced intensity
In a Sentence: He was driving in low gear due to the conditions, slow but steady. / I’m working in low gear today as I am unwell.
Other Ways to Say: Moving slowly / Reduced effort / Low intesity
32. Still finding its feet
Meaning: Something new that is still developing.
In a Sentence: This company is still finding its feet. / This business is new, so it is still finding its feet.
Other Ways to Say: Finding it’s way / Slowly learning / Developing
33. On the back burner
Meaning: Something put on hold or low prioirty
In a Sentence: These projects are on the back burner for now. / Don’t waste time on these projects as they are on the back burner.
Other Ways to Say: Not a prioirty / On hold / Hold your work
34. At a standstill
Meaning: When something is not progressing
In a Sentence: The company is at a standstill due to a lack of investment. / We are at a standstill and don’t know what to do.
Other Ways to Say: Nowhere / Limited progress / Stopped
35. Take a breather
Meaning: Pause of work to relax
In a Sentence: I’m going to take a breather. / We need to take a breather after all that work.
Other Ways to Say: Take a break / Relax / Chill
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blank with the correct idiom from the list below.
- At a snail’s pace
- Drag his feet
- Slow as molasses in January
- Behind the curve
- Taking his sweet time
- Like watching paint dry
- Slow off the mark
- Gear down
- Come to a crawl
- Not the sharpest tool in the shed
1. The project is moving ____________ because of all the delays.
2. He’s ____________ on finishing his homework; I wish he’d just get it done.
3. The internet connection here is ____________.
4. If we don’t adapt to new technology, we’ll fall ____________.
5. He was ____________ getting ready, and we were late for the movie.
6. Listening to the professor’s lecture was ____________.
7. He’s a little ____________ in the mornings before his coffee.
8. As I get closer to retirement, I need to ____________.
9. The traffic ____________ due to the heavy rain.
10. He’s a nice guy, but he’s ____________.
Answer Key:
1. At a snail’s pace
2. Dragging his feet
3. Slow as molasses in January
4. Behind the curve
5. Taking his sweet time
6. Like watching paint dry
7. Slow off the mark
8. Gear down
9. Came to a crawl
10. Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Conclusion
Learning idioms is a never-ending journey, but it’s a rewarding one. You’ve now learned 35 different ways to talk about things being slow. This knowledge not only improves your comprehension but also enables you to express yourself more vividly and creatively in English.
Don’t stop here! Keep an eye out for these idioms in movies, books, and conversations. The more you encounter them, the more natural they will become in your own speech. Continue exploring the world of idioms, and you’ll discover that the English language is full of delightful surprises!
