Time Idioms: B2 English Guide with Palestine

English Vocabulary · Level B2 · CLIL: Palestine

Idioms about time are some of the most natural-sounding phrases in English — and the hardest to guess from the words alone. Tonight we unlock twelve of them, anchored in the rich, layered world of Palestinian culture and history, where time itself takes on a very particular meaning.

Why time idioms matter at B2

At B2, you can express yourself clearly and correctly. Time idioms are the next step: they make you sound fluent, not just accurate. Native speakers use them constantly in conversation, journalism, and professional writing. Learning them in context — real context, with real places and real stories — is the fastest route to making them your own.

The key thing to remember: idioms are fixed phrases. You can’t swap individual words the way you might with a collocation. “In the nick of time” works; “in the nick of the moment” does not. Learn them whole, hear them used naturally, and they’ll stick.

The twelve idioms — with Palestine

Palestine is one of the oldest inhabited places on Earth. Its landscapes, traditions, and people carry the weight of millennia — making it a natural setting for thinking about time, patience, and change.

1. Stand the test of time

Meaning: to remain valuable, relevant, or strong over a long period.

“The ancient walls of Jericho have stood the test of time — the city has been continuously inhabited for over 11,000 years, making it the oldest inhabited city in the world.”

2. In the nick of time

Meaning: just before it is too late; at the last possible moment.

“Families often arrive in the nick of time for the olive harvest — the picking season is short, lasting just six to eight weeks between October and November.”

3. Against the clock

Meaning: trying to do something as quickly as possible because there is very little time.

“Palestinian olive farmers often work against the clock during harvest — every day matters when the olives are at their peak and the rains are coming.”

4. It’s high time

Meaning: used to say that something should have happened already; there has been too much delay. Always followed by a past tense verb.

“Many historians argue it’s high time the world gave proper recognition to Palestinian tatreez — the 3,000-year-old embroidery tradition that UNESCO has now inscribed as Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

5. Time flies

Meaning: time passes very quickly, often without you noticing. From the Latin tempus fugit. Often used with “when you’re having fun.”

“Time flies when you’re sitting around a fire during the harvest, sharing maqluba and sweet tea brewed over coals — the hours disappear in laughter and folk songs.”

6. Kill time

Meaning: to do something — usually something unimportant — to pass time while waiting.

“Waiting for the olive press to become free, the younger children killed time by collecting stones along the riverbank, building small towers and knocking them down again.”

7. Once in a blue moon

Meaning: very rarely; almost never. (A “blue moon” refers to the rare occurrence of two full moons in one calendar month.)

“Once in a blue moon, a visitor stumbles across a perfectly preserved example of early tatreez embroidery — most pieces were lost during the Nakba of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their villages.”

8. In the long run

Meaning: over a long period of time; eventually, when everything is considered.

“The 12 million olive trees planted across the West Bank may face short-term difficulties, but in the long run they remain central to Palestinian identity, economy, and resilience.”

9. Behind the times

Meaning: old-fashioned; not keeping up with modern ideas or trends. Often said of a person, organisation, or system.

“Some people assume traditional crafts are behind the times, but Palestinian tatreez has found a global audience — workshops in Berlin, New York and Tokyo are full of young people learning the ancient cross-stitch patterns.”

10. A matter of time / only a matter of time

Meaning: used to say that something will definitely happen, even though you don’t know exactly when.

“With more than 11,000 years of continuous habitation, it was only a matter of time before Jericho’s archaeological site — Tell es-Sultan — was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, which happened in 2023.”

11. Pressed for time

Meaning: having very little time; in a hurry because of time pressure.

“Even when pressed for time, Palestinian hosts insist on serving coffee and dates before any business is discussed — hospitality comes first, always.”

12. Bide your time

Meaning: to wait patiently for a good opportunity before acting.

“The dabke dance group had been biding their time for months before a festival gave them the stage they needed — their performance brought three generations of the audience to their feet.”

Quick-reference table

Idiom	Meaning in brief	Register
Stand the test of time	remain strong over a long period	neutral / formal
In the nick of time	just before it’s too late	neutral / informal
Against the clock	working under time pressure	neutral
It’s high time	should have happened already	neutral / slightly formal
Time flies	time passes quickly	informal / neutral
Kill time	do something to pass time	informal
Once in a blue moon	very rarely	informal
In the long run	over time; eventually	neutral / formal
Behind the times	old-fashioned; not modern	neutral
A matter of time	will definitely happen eventually	neutral
Pressed for time	in a hurry; little time available	neutral
Bide your time	wait patiently for the right moment	neutral / slightly formal

Palestine: where every olive tree is a clock

What makes Palestine such a rich context for these idioms is that Palestinian culture has always had a profound relationship with time — deep roots, patient endurance, and an unbroken connection to the land.

The olive harvest is perhaps the clearest example. Families work against the clock each October and November, picking from trees that may be hundreds of years old. Those trees have stood the test of time in ways that defy easy description — some are thought to be over a thousand years old, still producing fruit in the hills of the West Bank, supported by the 100,000 families who depend on the olive oil industry for their livelihoods.

Jericho — known in Arabic as Ariha — is another touchstone. Located in the Palestinian West Bank and lying more than 800 feet below sea level, it is the lowest city in the world and, more remarkably, the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet. Its first settlements date to around 9,000 BC. In 2023, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the archaeological site of Tell es-Sultan. It was only a matter of time: 11,000 years of human history deserve recognition.

And then there is tatreez — Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery. Every pattern in a tatreez garment was once a kind of map: it told you which village a woman came from, the season, her family, her community. The craft is anything but behind the times; in 2022, UNESCO added tatreez to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and workshops worldwide now teach young people to stitch the same motifs their great-grandmothers sewed. Some things, it seems, stand the test of time not despite change, but because of it.

Common mistakes for Spanish speakers

Watch out for these

“High time” must be followed by a past tense verb, even though you are talking about the present or future. This catches almost every Spanish speaker.

✗ It’s high time we start protecting these traditions.
✓ It’s high time we started protecting these traditions.

“In the long run” is not the same as “at the end.” Don’t use it to mean “finally” or “at last.”

✗ In the long run, we arrived at the village.
✓ In the long run, preserving old olive groves will benefit everyone.

“Pressed for time” describes a person or group — it is not a passive structure with a subject doing the pressing.

✗ The time is pressing us.
✓ We’re really pressed for time — the harvest has to be done before the rains.

“Bide your time” is often confused with “waste your time.” Biding your time is purposeful and patient; wasting it is not.

✗ He was biding his time watching TV all day instead of studying.
✓ She bided her time, watching the situation carefully before making her move.

“Once in a blue moon” means rarely — not “sometimes.” Spanish speakers sometimes use it for things that happen every few weeks, which is too frequent.

✗ I go to the cinema once in a blue moon — maybe every month.
✓ I go to the cinema once in a blue moon — maybe twice a year.

Example bank: 16 sentences in context

The olive trees in Battir have stood the test of time — some have been growing for centuries and are still bearing fruit today.
The rescue team arrived in the nick of time; another hour and the situation would have been unmanageable.
The embroiderers are working against the clock to finish the commission before the exhibition opens next week.
It’s high time that food historians recognised the depth and sophistication of Palestinian cuisine.
“How time flies,” she said, spreading out the embroidery her grandmother had made sixty years before. “It feels like yesterday.”
Waiting for the bread to bake, the children killed time by chasing each other around the courtyard.
Once in a blue moon, a family uncovers a tatreez dress that survived the Nakba intact — and when they do, the whole community gathers to see it.
In the long run, investing in traditional crafts creates stronger communities and more resilient local economies.
Some critics thought the dabke revival was a nostalgic curiosity, behind the times — but the packed venues proved them wrong.
After decades of archaeological surveys, it was only a matter of time before the site received the international recognition it deserved.
“I know you’re pressed for time,” said the host, “but please — sit, have coffee. The road will wait.”
The young activist had been biding her time for months, preparing her presentation carefully before she spoke at the conference.
The harvest season feels too short every year — you’re always working against the clock when the olives are ripe.
Jericho is proof that some cities can stand the test of time like no other place on Earth.
She hadn’t tasted proper maqluba in the long run — it was the taste that took her straight back to her grandmother’s kitchen. (incorrect — she had been away a long time, but “in the long run” is wrong here) ← Notice: this is a trap example. The correct phrase here would be “in a long time” — “in the long run” does not fit personal nostalgia. See the common mistakes section above.
“We’ve been killing time at the checkpoint for three hours,” he said quietly. “We were supposed to be home for lunch.”

Quick quiz — five questions

Choose the correct idiom to complete each sentence. Think about meaning and grammar before you answer.

The relief supplies arrived __________ — the hospital was about to run out of medicine. (in the nick of time / once in a blue moon)
Those olive groves are ancient. They have truly __________ in a way that few things do. (killed time / stood the test of time)
It’s __________ that traditional Palestinian weaving techniques were given formal recognition. (high time / pressed for time)
The farmers aren’t going anywhere — they’re __________, waiting for the right season to begin. (biding their time / behind the times)
“We only visit that market __________,” he said. “Perhaps once a year, maybe less.” (in the long run / once in a blue moon)

Show answer key

In the nick of time — supplies arrived just before a crisis.
Stood the test of time — they have remained strong and relevant over centuries.
High time — the recognition was overdue. Note the verb were (past tense after “high time”).
Biding their time — waiting patiently and purposefully.
Once in a blue moon — once a year or less is rare; “in the long run” would be about long-term outcomes, not frequency.

B2 English
Vocabulary
Idioms
Time Idioms
Palestine
CLIL

Sources and further reading:

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