firing on all cylinders


be firing on all cylinders

To be functioning or operating at the most desirable or greatest possible level of efficiency, speed, or productivity. The automated messaging process is firing on all cylinders now that we've solved the bouncing issue. I'll be firing on all cylinders after I've had my coffee.See also: all, cylinder, firing, on

fire on all cylinders

1. To have all cylinders in an engine functioning. There's something wrong with my car—it's definitely not firing on all cylinders.2. To function or operate at the most desirable or greatest possible level of efficiency, speed, or productivity. (Usually used in the continuous tense.) The new website will be firing on all cylinders once we get the comments section up and running! I only fire on all cylinders after I've had my coffee.See also: all, cylinder, fire, on

firing on all cylinders

 and hitting on all cylinders 1. Lit. [of an internal combustion engine] having all its cylinders working and thus providing the maximum amount of power. The old car is firing on all cylinders despite its age. This thing's not hitting on all cylinders. 2. Fig. working at full strength; making every possible effort. The team is firing on all cylinders under the new coach. The factory is hitting on all cylinders to finish the orders on time.See also: all, cylinder, firing, on

fire on all cylinders

Also, hit or click on all cylinders . Function very well, as in Once we figured out how to use the new software, the department was firing on all cylinders , or "So the best infielder takes time to fit into the infield of a Big League club and have it hit on all four cylinders again" (Christy Mathewson, Pitching in a Pinch, 1912). This term transfers the functioning of an internal combustion engine, which works best when all its cylinders ignite, to broader use. [Early 1900s] See also: all, cylinder, fire, on

be firing on all cylinders

COMMON If someone is firing on all cylinders, they are doing a task with great enthusiasm and energy. I saw her a few weeks ago and she was firing on all cylinders. When Wales are firing on all cylinders, they can beat any country in the world. Note: If someone is not doing a task as well as they should be, you can say that they are not firing on all cylinders or are only firing on two cylinders. We were only firing on two cylinders in the first half of the game. Note: This expression refers to the cylinders in an engine. There are usually four of them. See also: all, cylinder, firing, on

firing on all (four) cylinders

working or functioning at a peak level. This expression is a metaphor from an internal-combustion engine: a cylinder is said to be firing when the fuel inside it is ignited. 1998 Entertainment Weekly Even when his imagination isn't firing on all cylinders, Amis is still worth picking up, if only to enjoy the jazzy rhythm of his prose. See also: all, cylinder, firing, on

firing/working on all ˈcylinders

(informal) using all your energy to do something; working as well as possible: The 24-year-old player feels that he is not yet firing on all cylinders.See also: all, cylinder, firing, on, working

fire on all cylinders

Go all out. The term comes from automobiles, where it means all of a car’s cylinders have been ignited and the engine is fully powered. It has been used figuratively since the second half of the 1900s, as in “That was a great speech; he was really firing on all cylinders.” See also pull out all the stops. See also: all, cylinder, fire, on