British

if someone or something is at full stretch, they are working as hard as possible.

The emergency services are working at full stretch to cope with the accident.

When the plant is operating at full stretch it can employ 800 people.

• like a bolt from the blue
• like a breath of fresh air
• like a bull at a gate
• like a bump on a log
• like a dose of salts
• like a dream
• like a headless chicken
• like a lamb
• like a lamb to the slaughter
• like a lost soul
• like a man possessed
• like a million dollars
• like a shag on a rock
• like a shot
• like a ton of bricks
• like a woman possessed
• like blue blazes
• like clockwork
• like crazy
• like death
• like death warmed up
• like gangbusters
• like gold dust
• like greased lightning
• like hell