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I'm trying to translate the following statement in Finnish, but I'm not sure what "double time" means here or how to understand it in this context:
SGT.: Well, at least it was a bloody military dream. Right! All of ya! In the yard, four minutes. And you can thank Private Hume for having to do it in double time. Move!
The broader context can be found here
Does this mean that things have to be done with double speed, i.e. they have half as much time as usually to go to the yard?
Yes, to do something in double time means to do it more quickly, or with double speed.
In the army, double time means moving at a trot/run which is what is meant in this sentence.Quote:
Originally Posted by vekarppe
Thank you both. Anglika, do you mean a fast marching pace?
No - marching is how soldiers usually move around a parade ground, but as Anglika said, 'double time' means they actually break into a trot, a kind of running pace.
So they have to do something with rush, that is, faster (than normally) ?
No. There's no implication of actual 'rushing' to do something ie haste. Both marching and double time are regulation ways that troops move in formation. Obviously, double time will get you there quicker! Marching is formal, double time, 'informa'l but still army regulation.
The implication in your example, is that four minutes of jogging (double time) is more energetic/tiring than 4 minutes of marching. The sergeant has come into the barracks to get the men out of bed and doing marching and push-ups before breakfast. He made it double time as a kind of punishment for Hume's slowness in getting in line with the other troops.
Thank you, David! This was a bit tricky to me, but I think I got it now. 8-)