run down the clock

run down the clock

1. In sports, to protect a lead by using up as much possible time that remains in a game or match without giving the opposing team a chance to score, generally by maintaining a passive or defensive strategy. With just a narrow two-point lead, the home team is trying to run down the clock to hold out for a win. I don't know, Jim, there's a lot of game time left for them to start running down the clock already.
2. By extension, to protect an advantage by using up as much possible time that remains in a particular situation. They know they have the votes to get their client off without punishment, so I bet they just run down the clock, rather than presenting a real defense. Shouldn't you wake Mom up? Oh, you sneak—you're trying to run down the clock so that she sleeps through your practice and you don't have to go.
See also: clock, down, run
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • run out the clock
  • run the clock down
  • run the clock out
  • kill the clock
  • keep a clean sheet
  • away game
  • knock (someone) out of the box
  • knock out of the box
  • goal
  • an own goal
References in periodicals archive
Conservative Party members of the upper house of parliament had tabled a series of amendments in an attempt to run down the clock and prevent the law being passed before parliament is suspended on Monday.
It gave Thunder the opportunity to run down the clock in the final five minutes and take the final word in the fixture as Keal Carlile got the ball down for his side's final try.
We saw it out and were happy to run down the clock and get it done with.
"Since her Brexit deal was so overwhelmingly rejected, the Prime Minister has recklessly run down the clock, failed to effectively negotiate with the EU and refused to find common ground for a deal Parliament could support.
Indeed it appears to be the British Government's strategy to run down the clock and Theresa May's decision to postpone the so-called meaningful vote until March 12 confirms this is her intention.
Up front Lukasz Duszynski eased the late pressure with a couple of timely runs forward, keeping possession to allow Doune to run down the clock.
Thanks to an eavesdropped conversation involving Olly Robbins we now have confirmation of what everyone assumed was the case: the Prime Minister is deliberately trying to run down the clock in order to present MPs with the unpalatable choice of her deal or a lengthy extension of Article 50.
THERESA MAY is promising MPs more Brexit votes before the end of February, amid claims she is trying to run down the clock before the UK's departure from the European Union.
THERESA MAY is promising MPs more Brexit votes before the end of this month, amid claims she is trying to run down the clock before the UK's departure from the European Union.
Smith's 71st-minute penalty halted the Falcons fightback and Quins were happy enough to run down the clock in and around the fringes of the forwards in the closing minutes.
They see the decision to delay the vote on the Withdrawal Agreement as a shameless attempt to run down the clock to leave MPs no time to come up with another way forward.
The delay on the vote has angered members of her own party and Labour opposition politicians, who accused her of trying to "run down the clock" ahead of Britain's withdrawal to increase pressure on them to back the deal.
The prime minister has cynically run down the clock trying to manoeuvre parliament into a choice between two unacceptable outcomes: her deal and no deal." It was, the Labour leader said, "a constitutional crisis and the prime minister is its architect".
'Good thing in our last possession, we got the offensive rebound and the players spread out to run down the clock,' said Banal.