slow as molasses in January

(as) slow as molasses in January

Exceptionally slow or sluggish; not fast at all. (The addition of "January," which is among the coldest months in the Northern Hemisphere, serves to intensify the meaning, as molasses is especially viscous in the cold.) This old laptop my dad gave me takes forever booting up, and then it runs as slow as molasses in January the whole time I use it! Come on, Becky, you're slow as molasses in January back there! Pick up the pace and keep up with the group. We're definitely going to be late if traffic keeps moving as slow as molasses in January.

See also: January, molasses, slow

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*slow as molasses in January

 and slower than molasses in January

very slow-moving. (*Also: as ~.) Can't you get dressed any faster? I declare, you're as slow as molasses in January. The traffic on the way to the concert was slower than molasses in January.

See also: January, molasses, slow

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.