in the groove
Running or performing extremely smoothlyRunning or performing extremely smoothly.
» Vinyl records are covered in grooves.
Schallplatten sind mit Rillen übersät. — Yorwba · CC BY 2.0 FR
Виниловые пластинки покрыты канавками. — al42and · CC BY 2.0 FR
Виниловые пластинки покрыты дорожками. — al42and · CC BY 2.0 FR
ddnktr · Tatoeba · CC0Meaning
3 senses(colloquial)Running or performing extremely smoothly.
(slang)Playing perfectly, perfectly in sync with others, or with perfect focus.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, groove.
Examples
6 sentencesVinyl records are covered in grooves.
ruВиниловые пластинки покрыты канавками. — al42and · CC BY 2.0 FR
deSchallplatten sind mit Rillen übersät. — Yorwba · CC BY 2.0 FR
I am not in the groove today.
Bacteria can hide in grooves in cutting boards.
deBakterien können sich in Rillen in Schneidbrettern verbergen. — Yorwba
We'll get back in the groove of things before long.
I'm in a groove.
Origin
Originally slang that first appeared in the mid-19th century with a (usually pejorative) rOriginally slang that first appeared in the mid-19th century with a (usually pejorative) reference to the difficulty of leaving a well-worn rut (see in a rut). As back in the groove, the phrase acquired a positive sense of returning to one's usual self after a period of illness, setbacks, etc. With special regard for music, originally US jazz slang from the 1920s, possibly with reference to the grooves of early records.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.