surely
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Related to surely: Slowly but Surely
slow but sure
Slow or incremental but yielding steady, dependable progress. It's going to be slow but sure writing my thesis, as I have to balance my part-time job with my research. A: "Hey, how's the new novel coming along?" B: "It's been slow but sure."
slowly but surely
At a slow or incremental pace but making steady, dependable progress. I've been writing my thesis slowly but surely—it will probably take me all year to finish it, but it's getting there! A: "Hey, how's the new novel coming along?" B: "Ah, slowly but surely!"
surely you jest
You must be joking. Surely you jest! I know there's a lot of oddball fields that are crazy lucrative, but I'm pretty selling bees as pets isn't one of them. We're getting bonuses this year? Ha, surely you jest.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
slow but sure
and slowly but surelyslow but unstoppable. Bob's progress on his novel was slow but sure. Nancy is finishing the paint job on her house, slowly but surely.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
slow but sure
Gradual or plodding but certain to finish, as in Slow but sure this book's getting written. This idiom was first recorded in 1562, although the idea is much older. A related phrase appears in the proverb slow and steady wins the race, which is the moral of Aesop's fable about the race between a tortoise and a hare, which stopped to nap during the race and therefore lost.
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.
slow but (or and) sure
not quick but achieving the required result eventually. proverbFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
slowly but ˈsurely
used for describing definite but slow progress in something: Attitudes to women at work are changing slowly but surely.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
slow but sure
Plodding but reliable. This proverbial term dates from the early seventeenth century, and the idea is as old as Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare. “This snail’s slow but sure,” wrote John Marston in his 1606 play The Fawn (3:1).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer