tick over

British  

verb

1. Also: idle.  (of an engine) to run at low speed with the throttle control closed and the transmission disengaged

2. to run smoothly without any major changes

   keep the firm ticking over until I get back

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noun

1. 1. the speed of an engine when it is ticking over

   2. ( as modifier )

      tick-over speed

Example Sentences

Duckett and Pope settled in, exploiting some uncharacteristically loose bowling from Scott Boland in particular to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

From Barron's

The calendar, as it turned out, ticked over at 19 months.

From Los Angeles Times

"If I'd have ballooned up in weight and I'd not been in the gym just ticking over, then I wouldn't have been able to take the fight and I wouldn't be in this position today."

From BBC

Anderson's constant demands for the ball, his ability to keep England ticking over, are hallmarks of his quality.

From BBC

With Pollock, Chandler Cunningham-South and Tom Willis on the bench, a complete recharge of the back row maybe possible to keep the needle high and the scoreboard ticking over in the second half.

From BBC