fast lane

[ fast leyn ]

noun

1. Also called ex·press lane [ik-, spres, leyn]. the lane of a multilane roadway that is used by fast-moving vehicles, as when passing slower traffic.
2. Informal. any scene, activity, or pursuit that is exciting, high-pressured, competitive, swift-moving, and sometimes dissipated or dangerous:

   Alcoholism and stress are often the price for living life in the fast lane.

fast lane

noun

1. the outside lane on a motorway or dual carriageway for vehicles overtaking or travelling at high speed
2. informal.
   the quickest but most competitive route to success

Word History and Origins

Origin of fast lane¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Idioms and Phrases

Also, life in the fast lane . A lifestyle that involves free spending and self-indulgence, and sometimes also dissipation and danger. For example, They're finding that life in the fast lane can be very stressful . This term alludes to the highway express lane used by faster vehicles to pass slower ones. [ Colloquial ; c. 1970] Also see fast track .

Example Sentences

In a press release that says customers will soon be able to "stay in the fast lane with unlimited high-speed data," AT&T said that purchasers of the priciest plan "will now enjoy AT&T's high-speed data regardless of how much data they've used."

From Ars Technica

Allyson Felix is the definition of living life in the fast lane.

From Essence.com

Now that events were moving into the fast lane, I reached out to Beckman again.

From The Daily Beast

A two-tier system has been proposed, essentially creating a fast lane and a slow lane.

From The Daily Beast

Otherwise, your entry into the fast lane depends on your airline and your departure airport.

From The Daily Beast

More than 60 years after the introduction of penicillin, we finally have found the fast lane.

From The Daily Beast

This Sunday will see the season finale of Entourage, HBO's candy-colored romp in the Hollywood fast lane.

From The Daily Beast