on a roll


on a roll

Experiencing a particularly successful period, without any setbacks or low points. Three championship titles in a row? Wow, that team is really on a roll. Jim was really on a roll last night with his jokes—we couldn't stop laughing! It takes me a while to get some ideas down, but once I get on a roll, I usually end up writing five or six pages a night.See also: on, roll

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

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

COMMON If you are on a roll, you are making great progress and having a lot of success. Emerging markets, too, are on a roll. I made a name for myself and I was on a roll, I couldn't see anything going wrong. Note: You can say that someone gets on a roll. Once you get on a roll you feel as though you're unbeatable. Compare with on the crest of a wave. Note: This expression probably comes from surfing. See also: on, roll

on a roll

experiencing a prolonged spell of success or good luck. informal 1998 Oldie Western economists cottoned on to basic ‘flaws’ in the [Indonesian] economy which they hadn't noticed (or didn't want to notice) while it was on a roll. 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

on a roll

Enjoying a series of successes or a run of good luck. This expression, which alludes to successful rolling of dice, dates from the second half of the 1900s. Brian Fremantle used it in Dead Men Living (2000), “As Charlie headed south across the river . . . he thought happily that when you’re on a roll you’re on a roll, and it was one of the better feelings.”See also: on, roll