👉 Expression: Killing Time
📜 Definition: To make time pass by performing some unessential activity. 📅 Earliest Use: Dates from the early 1700s.
📚 Example in Literature:
“[…] Tapestry, in which ladies employed their needles by way of killing time.” – Leslie Stephen, Hours in the Library (1874).
🎭 Example in Pop Culture:
“As Josh and Sal . . . kill time in a hospital waiting room, nervous about whether a third friend is going to survive a drug overdose.” – Ed Siegel, Boston Globe (2005).
🎨 Synonyms and Similar Expressions:
- Passing the time: Engaging in activities to occupy oneself.
- Whiling away the hours: Leisurely spending time.
- Biding one’s time: Waiting for the right moment without urgency.
- Frittering away: Wasting time on trivial activities.
- Dawdling: Moving or acting slowly, often to kill time.
📘 Proverbs:
- “Time and tide wait for no man.” - Essentially, don’t waste time as it won’t wait for you!
- “Lost time is never found again.” - Benjamin Franklin backs the notion that killing time is irreversible.
- “Procrastination is the thief of time.” - Edward Young, reminding us that delaying tasks only robs us of valuable moments.
🎵 Songs:
- “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper – Reflects how time circles back, almost giving you the illusion of time wasted giving returns.
- “Still D.R.E.” by Dr. Dre – It’s not about killing time, but the beat’s so relaxing you might just find yourself idly nodding away.
🎞️ Films:
- The Breakfast Club (1985) – High school students passing time in detention, engaging in deep discussions and finding themselves.
- Waiting (2005) – A look into how restaurant employees kill time during their work hours in eclectic ways.
📖 Suggested Literature:
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking – Sometimes, understanding time rather than killing it could be enlightening.
- In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust – A verbosely laid travelogue through the facets of temporality and memory.
👋 Farewell Thought: As fleeting as time may seem when you’re “killing” it, remember Edgar Allen Poe’s wisdom: “To elevate the soul, poetry is necessary.” Keep your time alive with enriching activities and occasional poetic indulgences!
