I am looking for an expression describing something that is happening awfully slowly, or is developing at a maddeningly slow pace. Like a story line in a book or a movie.
Is there such an idiom?
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I am looking for an expression describing something that is happening awfully slowly, or is developing at a maddeningly slow pace. Like a story line in a book or a movie.
Is there such an idiom?
At a snail's pace?
Would you say that about a book or a movie, though? It seems a little too literal to me (i.e., it can be used in regards to the actual speed of some moving object).
I am, rather, talking about something that's being doled out very little at a time and at lengthy intervals.
Not an idiom, but you would often see/hear "painstakingly" for that purpose.Quote:
Originally Posted by catbert
I am, rather, talking about something that's being doled out very little at a time and at lengthy intervals.
How about "drip-feed/fed"?
"The movie was excruciatingly slow, I felt like we were being drip-fed the plot at long intervals".
"The book took ages to get going, as if the plot was on a slow drip-feed".
not a teacher
I would understand the analogy, but I have never heard it used.Quote:
Originally Posted by JMurray
what about 'piecemeal'?
Heard another one today: as slow as molasses in January. 8-)
It can be used in this way to describe a plot of a movie or book, and also literal.Quote:
Originally Posted by catbert
Similar examples to explain that something is boring and slow:
"It's like watching paint dry." or "watching grass grow".
Yeah, I know those, it's just not what I wanted to express. I was looking for an English equivalent to a particular Russian saying, but apparently there isn't one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skeptik