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race against time

[/reɪs əˈɡenst taɪm/]
verb phrase
correr contra o tempo
1. to try to do something before a deadline or before something bad happens; to hurry to accomplish a task within a limited time frame
We are racing against time to finish the project before Friday.
Estamos correndo contra o tempo para terminar o projeto antes de sexta-feira.
2. to engage in an urgent or hurried effort where time is the limiting factor
Doctors raced against time to save the patient's life.
Os médicos correram contra o tempo para salvar a vida do paciente.
NYC Slang
beat the clock
Synonyms
beat the clockwork against the clockhurryrush
Antonyms
take one's timeprocrastinatedelay

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
correr contra o tempo
most common expression in Brazilian Portuguese
Brazil
numa correria contra o tempo
colloquial variant emphasizing the rush and urgency
Portugal
correr contra o tempo
same expression used in European Portuguese
Portugal
uma corrida contra o tempo
alternative Portuguese variant

Related Idioms & Phrases

against the clock
under the gun
on borrowed time
in the nick of time
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