pedal to the metal

pedal to the metal

1. Drive as fast as you can; push the accelerator down. We're going to be late—pedal to the metal!
2. Do something with maximum speed or effort. Pedal to the metal, boys—we need to get these packages shipped by the end of the day.
See also: metal, pedal

put the pedal to the metal

1. To press down the accelerator (of an automobile) as far as possible; to accelerate to or travel at the maximum speed. It would normally take us three days driving to New York from Colorado, but with my brother putting the pedal to the metal, we made it in two. We're going to be late—put the pedal to the metal!
2. By extension, to do something with maximum speed or effort. Put the pedal to the metal, boys—we need to get these packages shipped by the end of the day.
See also: metal, pedal, put
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • put the pedal to the metal
  • with the pedal to the metal
  • keep/put the pedal to the metal
  • put the hammer down
  • have a heavy foot
  • give 110%
  • have a lead foot
  • punch it
  • go for the fences
  • do (something) up brown
References in periodicals archive
AS one of Hollywood's new generation of hard men, Jason Statham, pictured, has put the pedal to the metal on numerous occasions to outmanoeuvre cops and bad guys, including high-octane chases in s
AS THE Blossom Japan sales team slowly winds down and applies the breaks, the event and buyer teams are putting the pedal to the metal and overtaking the sales force with the launch of iEvent -- the online system facilitating pre-scheduled appointments for the new event which will kick start the calendar year in the luxury travel industry.
A CHILDREN'S hospice has put the pedal to the metal to launch a fundraising bike ride which they hope will make a wheely big difference to the charity.
Still revving to post here, the American-bred put the pedal to the metal from the stalls and simply outgalloped his rivals back over this 1m1/2f trip.
Construction of the 203,000-SF Supercenter could be completed by year's end if the Bentonville chain puts the pedal to the metal.
A car is a lethal weapon only when some idiot turns the key and "puts the pedal to the metal".
Quentin Tarantino's affectionate tribute to '70s-era exploitation films certainly puts the pedal to the metal during its bravura action sequences, orchestrating a gruesome car crash and a white-knuckle chase sequence.
You may recall that earlier this year she tried weaseling out of a speeding ticket--she was driving 44 mph in a 30 mph zone--with the spurious argument that the state Constitution somehow allows legislators on official business to put the pedal to the metal. For some reason, it didn't impress the judge.
That means race car engineers increasingly run simulations and analyses prior to putting the pedal to the metal.
"True to our approach for all of 2007, in the first quarter, AK Steel 'put the pedal to the metal' with record performances in safety, quality, productivity and revenues," AK Steel CEO James L.
And yet she has this amazing capacity--as in Daphne--to put the pedal to the metal and deliver a more substantial stream of sound when required.
"Our team is putting the pedal to the metal, energetically promoting our range at exhibitions throughout Europe and beyond."
As my mother put the pedal to the metal, hoping to reach home before our argument deteriorated into blows, Dad turned around to face me.
The current season will put the pedal to the metal starting in mid-April, with a dozen Broadway offerings opening between then and the May 10 Tony-eligibility deadline.
A professional driver is in the passenger's seat and I've got the pedal to the metal. I wouldn't dare look down at the speedometer, but I can tell from the heads-up display in the windshield that we're going 120 mph.