clock is ticking, the

Idioms and Phrases

The time (for something to be done) is passing quickly; hurry up. For example, The clock is ticking on that project . This allusion to a stopwatch is often used as an admonition to speed something up. It also is used in more specific form— one's biological clock is ticking —meaning that a woman may soon be too old to bear a child, as in Her biological clock is ticking—she just turned forty .