gas

all gas and gaiters a satisfactory state of affairs. informal, dated

☞ This expression was first recorded in Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby (1839): 'All is gas and gaiters'.

1961P. G. WodehouseIce in the Bedroom She cries 'Oh, Freddie darling!' and flings herself into his arms, and all is gas and gaiters again.

cook with gas: see cook on the front burner atcook.

run out of gas run out of energy; lose momentum. North American informal

step on the gas press on the accelerator to make a car go faster. North American informal