其實這句話出自于一句很早（上世紀初）一個劇本《Ennui the Timekiller》里的臺詞,原文如下：:I've an idea I don't like the Lady Waitfor't - she wishes to trick me out of my match with Miss Coutney, and if I could trick her in return - (_takes out his watch_). How goes the enemy - only one o'clock! I thought it had been that an hour ago. (_The Dramatist_)
Ennui 的畢生事業(yè)就是時間殺手,所以才劇中才有了How go the enemy?（現(xiàn)在幾點了）這句話,意思就是“時間殺手這個敵人現(xiàn)在怎么樣了?”喻指幾點鐘了.嚴格意義上說,這并不是俚語,而是一句流行語,所以并沒有什么實際意義.