at a round pace
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: at a round rate
Meaning · English
Briskly, rapidly, smartly. He cried again, "To the wilds!" and Enid leading down the tracks . . . Round was their pace at first, but slacken' d soon. TENNYSON: Enid and Geraint, 28.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “at a round pace” mean?
Briskly, rapidly, smartly. He cried again, "To the wilds!" and Enid leading down the tracks . . . Round was their pace at first, but slacken' d soon. TENNYSON: Enid and Geraint, 28.
Is “at a round pace” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.