How do you use "Snail's pace" in a sentence?

Traffic is moving at a snail's pace. The project is progressing at a snail's pace. At this snail's pace, we'll never finish.

Snail's pace

Q: What does "Snail's pace" mean?

Extremely slow; moving very slowly. Moving at a 'snail's pace' means moving extremely slowly—like the notoriously slow snail. Often used to express frustration with slow progress in traffic, bureaucracy, or any process.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

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Meaning: Extremely slow; moving very slowly.

极其缓慢；移动得非常慢。

Extremadamente lento; moviéndose muy lentamente.

極めて遅い；非常にゆっくり動く。

극도로 느린; 매우 천천히 움직이는.

Moving at a 'snail's pace' means moving extremely slowly—like the notoriously slow snail. Often used to express frustration with slow progress in traffic, bureaucracy, or any process.

'Snail's pace'移动意味着极其缓慢——像出了名慢的蜗牛一样。常用于表达对交通、官僚程序或任何过程进展缓慢的不满。

Moverse a 'paso de caracol' significa moverse extremadamente lento—como el notoriamente lento caracol. A menudo se usa para expresar frustración con el progreso lento del tráfico, la burocracia o cualquier proceso.

「snail's pace」で動くとは、極めて遅く動くこと—有名に遅いカタツムリのように。交通渋滞、官僚手続き、その他のプロセスの遅さへの不満を表すのによく使われます。

'Snail's pace'는 느리기로 유명한 달팽이처럼 극도로 느리게 움직인다는 뜻이다. 교통, 행정 처리, 또는 어떤 과정이든 느린 진행에 대한 불만을 표현할 때 자주 사용된다.

Examples

Traffic is moving at a snail's pace.
交通慢得像蜗牛爬
El tráfico avanza a paso de caracol
交通がのろのろしている
교통이 달팽이처럼 느리게 움직이고 있어.
The project is progressing at a snail's pace.
项目进展缓慢
El proyecto avanza a paso de caracol
プロジェクトが遅々として進んでいる
프로젝트가 더디게 진행되고 있어.
At this snail's pace, we'll never finish.
照这个速度，我们永远也完不成
A este ritmo, nunca terminaremos
このペースでは絶対終わらない
이 속도로는 절대 못 끝내.

Pronunciation

/sneɪlz peɪs/

Usage Guide

Context: slowness, traffic, progress

Tone: frustrated, impatient

✓ Do Say

At a snail's pace
以蜗牛般的速度
A paso de tortuga
カタツムリのような速さで
달팽이 속도로
Snail's pace
蜗牛速度
Paso de tortuga
のろのろ
달팽이 속도
Moving like a snail
像蜗牛一样慢
Moviéndose como un caracol
カタツムリのように遅い
달팽이처럼 느리다

Common Mistakes

Standard expression for slowness

Origin & History

Snails are proverbially slow, making this comparison ancient and universal. The phrase has been in use for centuries to describe frustratingly slow movement or progress.

Etymology: Comparison to the famously slow snail

First recorded: Centuries old

Cultural Context

Era: Historical to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Universal expression

Regional notes: English-language universal.

Variations

Snail's paceAt a snail's pace