against the clock

Idioms  

1. Also, against time. In a great hurry, as fast as possible, as in With her term paper due on Monday, she was racing against the clock to finish it, or They were working against time to stay on schedule. The term comes from various sports in which the contestants do not directly compete against each other but instead are timed individually, the winner being the one who is fastest. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

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Example Sentences

BRUSSELS—The European Union is racing against the clock to overcome Belgium’s objections to a plan to fund Ukraine’s defense using Russian money.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I do feel like it's a fight against the clock. We have to get this funding as quickly as possible," she said.

From Barron's

They are racing against the clock, fearful that the royal and Napoleonic-era jewels will be broken down and sold off for their gems.

From The Wall Street Journal

French investigators are in a race against the clock as they try to recover the jewelry.

From The Wall Street Journal

By the seventh inning, it was starting to feel like a race against the clock.

From Los Angeles Times