fast lanen.
/ˈfɑːs(t) leɪn/, /ˈfas(t) leɪn/, U.S. /ˈfæs(t) ˌleɪn/ 1. A lane of a dual carriageway, motorway, highway, etc., typically positioned adjacent to the central reservation and intended for vehicles which are overtaking or travelling at faster speeds than the rest of the traffic.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > parts of road > [noun] > part where vehicles run > part wide enough for one vehicle > for fast or slow traffic
fast lane1918
slow lane1918
Zil lane1985
1918 Municipal Record (San Francisco) 3 Jan. 6/1 General traffic control:..Fast and slow lanes.
1928 Linton (Indiana) Daily Citizen 28 July 2/3 Motorists who want to speed along at a fast clip are supposed to take the inside lane, those who desire to take their time..are expected to take the lane to the right of the fast lane.
1966 T. Wisdom High-performance Driving xi. 111 One is frustrated on a motorway by the driver ahead in the ‘fast’ lane (if only he appreciated that it is the overtaking lane).
2008 Total Politics Aug. 50/1 I would ban speed cameras and have a 150mph speed limit for the fast lane on motorways.
2. figurative. In phrases alluding to a lifestyle which is fast-paced, glamorous, hectic, or highly pressured, esp. one considered excessive or reckless. Frequently in to live life in the fast lane.
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the mind > attention and judgement > attractiveness > [noun] > glamorous lifestyle
fast lane1976
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [noun] > fast or glamorous way of life
fast lane1976
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > fast and glamorous
fast lane1976
1976 ‘The Eagles’ (title of song) Life in the fast lane.
1986 Eng. Jrnl. 75 105/1 Vincent becomes a successful rock star with all the dangers of life in the fast lane.
2019 Guardian (Nexis) 1 Mar. He lived life in the fast lane, spent money like there was no tomorrow and, by his own admission, may have ‘overdone it a bit with the booze, the drugs, the girls’.
Compounds
As a modifier with the sense ‘designating a person who lives life in the fast lane’, also designating or relating to a fast-paced, glamorous, or highly pressured lifestyle (see sense 2); as fast-lane set, fast-lane lifestyle, fast-lane living, etc.
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1978 Detroit Free Press 16 Apr. (Parade) 20/4 The image usually associated with the superjet, ‘fast lane’ set.
2002 Independent 19 July (Features section) 10 A legendary sybarite whose fast-lane lifestyle careened into addiction, burn-out and, eventually, suicide.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1918