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on a roll

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on a roll

in the midst of a series of successes. Don't stop me now. I'm on a roll. Things are going great for Larry. He's on a roll now.

See also: on, roll

on a roll

1. experiencing a period of success or good luck They were on a roll, winning nine games in a row. With a growing economy and a dropping crime rate, the city has been on a roll. Related vocabulary: have a good thing going

2. talking for a period of time My mother loved to gossip, and she had a hard time stopping once she was on a roll.

Etymology: based on the idea that something which is rolling tends to continue rolling

See also: on, roll

on a roll

On a streak of success or intense activity, as in The team's scored three runs in the last inning and they're really on a roll, or Once the experiment succeeded, Tim was on a roll. This slangy term, alluding to the momentum in the act of rolling, dates from the second half of the 1900s, but roll alone has been used in this sense since the early 1800s.

See also: on, roll

on a roll

mod. in the midst of a series of successes. (see also roll.) Things are going great for Larry. He’s on a roll now.

See also: on, roll

on a roll

Informal

Undergoing or experiencing sustained, even increasing good fortune or success: "The stock market's on a roll" (Karen Pennar).

See also: on, roll