Are you still on the slow boat to China?

Today’s English
August 8th, 2017

'Slow and study wins the race' is of course true but doing something very slowly would irritate others and solution may become a question mark.  What happened to 7th pay commission in Tamil Nadu? How many files on the government tables move as slow as a snail?  30 million cases are in pending and 90 million people are awaiting the justice as per the news by Hindustan Times in 2016. 

If a person likes sleeping more and working less, he is a sluggard, a lazy guy.  If a person does works very slowly, he is a slowpoke. If a person is very slow in understanding, he is muttonheaded, dullheaded, boneheaded and dopey.

1. Why did you give this work to that sluggard? 
2. I don’t know how to deal with these slowpokes.
3. Soon I realized that he was a muttonheaded fellow.
4. His each response proved that he was absolutely dopey.

If you want to use polite terms to talk about people who understand things slowly, you can use the phrase – “slow on the uptake" and those who understand fast – “quick on the uptake".

1. He’s a little slow on the uptake but very obedient.
2. Nancy is a bit quick on the uptake and I’ve no problem with her.

When you are moving extremely slowly, you are going ahead at snail’s pace.  You can score in ones and twos (=in small numbers) and explain a project inch by inch (=in great detail, step by step). Spend at least 10 minutes a day for improving your English and by and by you will see the progress. (=by degrees, gradually)

1. Due to heavy traffic, we have to move at snail’s pace.
2. By saving in ones and twos, she managed money for her daughter’s marriage.
3. Thanks for explaining the mechanism inch by inch.
4. By and by I learnt the entire work involved into it.

If you are waiting for a very long time for somebody or doing something for a very long time, you can say that you are on a slow boat to China.
1. I don’t know how long we have to be on a slow boat to China like this.
2. What about your career advancement?  We’re still on the slow boat to China.

“I once visited a village of primitive people.
At village, I felt time and life moved slower.”
- Toba Beta, “My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut”