snail's pace
A frustratingly slow rate of speed.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The traffic is moving at a snail's pace today.”
“The long line at the grocery store moves at a snail's pace.”
“The download finishes at a snail's pace because the internet connection is weak.”
“We waited for hours because the construction crew was working at a snail's pace.”
“My old laptop loads every webpage at a snail's pace, so I usually make a cup of coffee while I wait for it to start.”
“The hikers walked at a snail's pace because the trail was muddy and they did not want to slip on the wet rocks.”
“I am trying to learn a new language, but my progress feels like it is moving at a snail's pace lately.”
“Despite the urgency of the situation, the bureaucratic process continued at a snail's pace, leaving everyone involved in a state of deep frustration.”
A comparison derived from the observable velocity of the gastropod mollusc, which moves at a rate generally considered inconvenient for human progress. The phrase appears in Middle English by the early 15th century, formalising the animal's reputation for sluggishness into a standard metric for delay.
Last updated August 10, 2026