out of gear

Thân thiện

The mechanic left the old tractor out of gear in the shed.

Definition

1. Adjective Phrase:
   • Not having gears engaged; not in gear: Describes a mechanical state where the gears of a machine or vehicle are disconnected, preventing the transmission of power from the engine to the wheels or other moving parts.
   • Not functioning properly; disorganized or inoperative: Used figuratively to describe a situation, system, or person that is not working correctly, is chaotic, or has lost synchronization.

Usage Examples

• Literal (Mechanical):

  • Before starting the engine, make sure the car is out of gear and the parking brake is on.
  • The mechanic left the transmission out of gear while inspecting the clutch.

• Figurative (Non-functioning):

  • After the holiday, the whole office felt out of gear and it took days to get back to normal productivity.
  • His sleep schedule is completely out of gear since he started working night shifts.

Advanced Usage

• "to throw/knock something out of gear": To cause a mechanism to disengage, or figuratively, to disrupt the normal functioning of something.
  • The sudden power surge threw the machinery out of gear.
  • The unexpected news knocked his carefully laid plans out of gear.

Variants and Related Words

• Out of sync/Out of synchronisation: Not operating in unison; not coordinated. (Figurative synonym)
• Disengaged: Detached or disconnected, especially mechanically.
• In neutral: Specifically for vehicles, meaning the gear lever is in the neutral position, which is a state of being 'out of gear'.

Synonyms

• Disengaged
• Inoperative (for the figurative sense)
• Disorganized, Chaotic (for the figurative sense)

Related Phrases

• Out of order: Not working; broken.
• Out of whack: Not functioning correctly; out of order. (Informal)

Related Idioms

• To slip out of gear: To accidentally become disengaged or, figuratively, to stop functioning smoothly.
  • The old tractor's lever sometimes slips out of gear.
  • My concentration slipped out of gear during the long meeting.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. not having gears engaged
   • threw the machine's pinion out of gear

Từ đồng nghĩa

• out of gear