slowly but surely

slowly but surely

At a slow or incremental pace but making steady, dependable progress. I've been writing my thesis slowly but surely—it will probably take me all year to finish it, but it's getting there! A: "Hey, how's the new novel coming along?" B: "Ah, slowly but surely!"
See also: but, slowly, surely
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

slowly but ˈsurely

used for describing definite but slow progress in something: Attitudes to women at work are changing slowly but surely.
See also: but, slowly, surely
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • slow but sure
  • surely
  • plod
  • plod along
  • write on and on
  • have too much on (one's) plate
  • have too much on plate
  • on the right foot, get off
  • get off on the right foot
  • get/start off on the right/wrong foot
References in classic literature
Slowly but surely the big, arched hole crept through the rocks underneath the deadly desert, and day by day it drew nearer and nearer to the Emerald City.
SLOWLY but surely the big problem of obesity is getting through to people as reported by your Health Correspondent in the Birmingham Mail.
The 61-year-old told the Irish Mirror: "They [Fianna Fail] are slowly but surely coming back.
I hear myself ask Too much information to learn all at once Head in a spin without a response Working the mouse to find the right page Working wizards trying hard to engage Files and tools and tables and help All neatly tucked well under your belt Slowly but surely the penny drops as You slowly pick up one or two tips From the pot Addictive, time-taking, another hour Goes by As you surf and you strain your half-opened Eyes Dot.com.
Columnist Ali Hamadeh of the Beirut daily AN NAHAR criticized the kind of progress being made in Lebanese-Syrian relations, arguing that ties are slowly but surely returning to the way they were prior to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005.
Summary: With the construction of an Airbus (EADS) plant near Tunis, well underway, Tunisia is slowly but surely becoming a hub for aeronautical companies.
Slowly but surely the age of 80% to 90% handrail/stair skate media coverage (videos, mags, etc.) is now giving way to more kinds of skating.
In the movie, once the Blob was released, it methodically grew from within itself and slowly but surely enveloped, smothered and killed everything and everyone it touched.
In recent years, the sea level has risen slowly but surely. Just as gradually, the land that the benchmark sits upon has subsided--in part because of the extraction of oil and natural gas from strata beneath the bayou.
We are moving slowly but surely towards the Tory position.
The purchase is one indication that the vast technology market potential for content management tools is being realized, slowly but surely, in the business and government sectors.
Only recently have Kiesler's thoughts on space begun, slowly but surely, to influence members of architecture's current avant-garde.
But as the absentee votes began trickling in, the tide slowly but surely began to turn.
And while the number of brands declines, the market expands into cyberspace as, slowly but surely, accountants begin to abandon their annual ritual of loading the latest tax CDs onto their computers.
Restaurants such as the Union Square Cafe, America and Coffee Shop put the neighborhood on the map for good, while on Fifth Avenue, upscale apparel retailers slowly but surely eased out the banks and novelty stores of yesteryear.