pressed for time

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Related to pressed for time: On Borrowed Time

pressed for time

Having a small or limited amount of time available; in a hurry. I'm sorry, I can't chat for long. I need to go pick up the kids, and I'm a bit pressed for time. Don't plan an elaborate meal if you're pressed for time—we can just order a pizza instead.

See also: for, press, time

*pressed for time

and *pushed for time

Fig. needing time; in a hurry. (*Typically: be ~; become ~; get ~; Seem ~.) If I weren't so pressed for time, I could help you. I can't talk to you. I'm too pushed for time. Can't talk to you now. I'm pressed for time.

See also: for, press, time

pressed for time

In a hurry, as in How long will it take? I'm really pressed for time. This idiom uses press in the sense of "subject to pressure," a usage dating from the late 1600s.

See also: for, press, time

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pressed for time

In a hurry; under time pressure.

See also: for, press, time

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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