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  What it means

  Literally: “a race with time.” This idiom describes a situation where one must complete something urgently before a deadline, running against the clock. It captures the tension and pressure of trying to finish in time when the clock is not on your side. Example: “Lekarze toczyli wyścig z czasem, żeby uratować pacjenta” (“The doctors were racing against time to save the patient”). It can describe any scenario — medical emergencies, project deadlines, rescue operations — where delay means failure.

  Vocabulary

  • wyścig — race, contest (masculine noun)
  • z czasem — with time, against time (z + instrumental of czas)
  • czas — time

  Grammar note

  'Z czasem' uses the preposition 'z' with the instrumental case of 'czas', giving the sense of racing alongside or against time as an opponent. 'Wyścig' is in the nominative when it is the subject ('wyścig z czasem trwa' — 'the race against time continues') and in the accusative after verbs like 'toczyć' (to wage) or 'prowadzić' (to conduct): 'toczył wyścig z czasem'.

  Cultural context

  This is a neutral, widely used Polish idiom with a direct English equivalent: 'a race against time' (or 'against the clock'). It appears in news headlines, sports commentary, and everyday conversation without any regional restriction. Unlike some idioms, it carries no irony — the urgency it describes is always real and serious.

  Beginner

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