set back the clock

Idioms  

1. see set back, def. 3.

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Example Sentences

"International acceptance of this fraudulent exercise would set back the clock on genuine resolution to this crisis," he said.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

Plantz told them that purchasing their own motel room could set back the clock on when they could qualify as “HUD homeless” — vulnerable enough for long enough to be eligible for housing assistance.

From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2022

Brivati notes how Gaitskell warned: "We must be on our guard against 'crisis' talk as an excuse to set back the clock of social progress."

From The Guardian • Mar. 6, 2011

I thought he was, though when we had taken hunter education together the previous spring, the field dressing video had set back the clock a bit.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nothing could set back the clock, and give her what this girl had.

From Saint's Progress by Galsworthy, John