click into place

1. Literally, of an object, to fit securely into something, often with an audible clicking noise. My seatbelt isn't clicking into place—is it broken? No, keep pushing the piece in—you should hear it click into place. Hmm, maybe the ink cartridge isn't in there right. I never did hear it click into place.

2. By extension, to begin to make sense or be understood. Thanks to my tutor, this week's lesson on polynomials has finally clicked into place. Can you help me make sense of Faulkner's non-linear style? I need at least some of this to click into place before our test next week. My brain just cannot comprehend trig, so I doubt sine and cosine will ever click into place.

click on all cylinders

To operate, perform, function, or proceed exceptionally well or at the greatest possible speed or efficiency. We'll be clicking on all cylinders if we get Janet to join our team. Now that we've solved the bouncing issue, the automated messaging process should click on all cylinders. Hang on, I won't be clicking on all cylinders until I've had my coffee.

click through

1. verb In an Internet browser, to navigate to a new page by clicking on a link. We've put links to all our sources at the bottom of the page, so you can click through if you want to do some more reading on the topic. I love that using this site for research because, when you're reading an article, you can just click through to learn more about the historical figures involved. Ugh, I wish I could just click through, rather than opening all these other tabs to look up the words I don't know.

2. verb To navigate to a commercial website by clicking on an advertisement. Your ads need to be flashy enough to make users want to click through without being so gaudy that they ignore them. The X on this ad is so miniscule that you end up clicking through whether you want to or not. It's really frustrating! A: "Wait, what is all this nonsense?" B: "Mom, does this app have ads? Because I think you clicked through by mistake."

3. noun The act of clicking on a link, especially an advertisement, to go to another page. Often hyphenated or spelled as a single word. We're trying to find ways of increasing our monthly click through. Wait, when you use affiliate links on your blog, you get paid per click-through? Companies will be more interested in working with you if your clickthrough is high.

4. noun The proportion of clicks on an online advertisement compared to how often it was viewed on a webpage. Often hyphenated or spelled as a single word. The new marketing director was able to increase their click-through by nearly 25 per cent. This ad must not be grabbing people's attention because its click-through is meager at best. Please, that ad only has such a high clickthrough because the X to close it is so miniscule!

click with (one)

1. To have a positive connection or friendly rapport with one, often quickly. I just don't click with those people—I doubt we have anything in common. I clicked with Ashley immediately, and we've been best friends ever since. When you click with your boss, it definitely helps create a positive work environment.

2. To quickly resonate with one or a group. If our invention clicks with consumers, then we'll be millionaires! I bet the idea of stronger laws for these kinds of criminals will click with mothers everywhere. Emily Dickinson's style of poetry just clicked with me in high school, and I've loved her ever since.

3. To make sense to one; to be able to be understood by one. The tutor's explanation of sine and cosine really clicked with me—I think I finally understand it now. Can you help me make sense of Faulkner's non-linear style? I need at least some of this to click with me before our test next week. A: "No, methane is the simplest hydrocarbon." B: "Ugh, what will it take for organic chemistry to click with me?"

clickbait

Online articles (especially on social media sites) that use provocative or intriguing headlines (often in combination with images) to drive traffic to the source. I wouldn't put too much faith in that article about "the one food no one should ever eat"—it's probably just clickbait. This used to be a reputable website for news about science, but now it's just full of clickbait. Do medical views on coffee and wine consumption change so frequently just to generate clickbait, or am I just totally jaded now?

fire on all cylinders

1. To have all cylinders in an engine functioning. There's something wrong with my car—it's definitely not firing on all cylinders. You should really take this car to the mechanic because I don't think it's firing on all cylinders. I did buy this car used, but I was told that it still fired on all cylinders!

2. To function or operate at the most desirable or greatest possible level of efficiency, speed, or productivity. (Usually used in the continuous tense.) The new website will be firing on all cylinders once we get the comments section up and running! I only fire on all cylinders after I've had my coffee. The automated messaging process is firing on all cylinders now that we've solved the bouncing issue.

hit on all cylinders

To operate, perform, function, or proceed exceptionally well or at the greatest possible speed or efficiency. We'll be hitting on all cylinders if we get Janet to join our team. I only hit on all cylinders after I've had my coffee. The automated messaging process is hitting on all cylinders now that we've solved the bouncing issue.

click with someone

1. [for something] to be understood or comprehended by someone suddenly. His explanation clicked with Maggie at once.

2. [for someone or something new] to catch on with someone; to become popular or friendly with someone very quickly. The new product clicked with consumers and was an instant success. I clicked with Tom the moment I met him.

fire on all cylinders

Also, hit or click on all cylinders . Function very well, as in Once we figured out how to use the new software, the department was firing on all cylinders , or "So the best infielder takes time to fit into the infield of a Big League club and have it hit on all four cylinders again" (Christy Mathewson, Pitching in a Pinch, 1912). This term transfers the functioning of an internal combustion engine, which works best when all its cylinders ignite, to broader use. [Early 1900s]

click into place

become suddenly clear and understandable.

Click into place is used literally of an object, especially part of a mechanism, to mean ‘fall smoothly into its allotted position’.

click (with someone)

in. to catch on with someone; to intrigue someone; to become popular with someone. Sam and Mary are getting along fine. I knew they’d click.

click

verb

See click with someone

fire on all cylinders

Go all out. The term comes from automobiles, where it means all of a car’s cylinders have been ignited and the engine is fully powered. It has been used figuratively since the second half of the 1900s, as in “That was a great speech; he was really firing on all cylinders.” See also pull out all the stops.