set one's watch back: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Worldwideneutral
  • To adjust a watch or clock so that it shows an earlier time than it previously displayed; to move the timepiece backward.

  Examples

  Beta

  • I set my watch back an hour before going to bed to adjust for daylight saving time.

    Ajusté mi reloj una hora hacia atrás antes de acostarme para adaptarme al horario de verano.

  • She had to set her watch back because it was running ten minutes fast all week.

    Tuvo que atrasar su reloj porque estuvo adelantado diez minutos toda la semana.

  • Before the trip, we set our watches back to the local time to avoid confusion upon arrival.

    Antes del viaje, atrasamos nuestros relojes a la hora local para evitar confusiones al llegar.

  • Did you remember to set your watch back for the end of daylight saving last weekend?

    ¿Recordaste atrasar tu reloj por el fin del horario de verano el fin de semana pasado?

• 2.

  USUKWorldwidefigurativeinformal
  • To delay or postpone an event or schedule; to revert to an earlier time or state in a figurative sense.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The project timeline was set back due to unexpected delays in material delivery.

    El cronograma del proyecto se retrasó debido a demoras inesperadas en la entrega de materiales.

  • If we set our watch back metaphorically, it might help us reevaluate our priorities from a fresh perspective.

    Si retrocedemos en sentido figurado, podría ayudarnos a reevaluar nuestras prioridades desde una nueva perspectiva.

  • They decided to set their watch back and postpone the event until conditions improved.

    Decidieron retrasar el evento hasta que mejoraran las condiciones.