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drag out the process

[/dræɡ aʊt ðə ˈprɒsɛs/]
verb phrase
prolongar o processo
1. to intentionally make a process, task, or procedure take longer than necessary; to delay or extend something unnecessarily
The lawyer tried to drag out the process to increase his billable hours.
O advogado tentou prolongar o processo para aumentar suas horas faturáveis.
2. to extend the duration of something in a tedious or unwanted manner
They dragged out the meeting for hours when it could have been finished in thirty minutes.
Eles prolongaram a reunião por horas quando poderia ter sido concluída em trinta minutos.
NYC Slang
drag it out; string it along
Synonyms
protractprolongextendlengthendraw outstring outstalldelayprocrastinate
Antonyms
expediteaccelerateshortenhastenspeed upabbreviate

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
prolongar o processo
most common usage
Rio de Janeiro
enrolar o processo
colloquial, more informal
São Paulo
estender o processo
formal business context
Portugal
alongar o processo
standard European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

beat around the bush
drag one's feet
put off
stall for time
procrastinate
take one's sweet time
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