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While I know that most songs don't necessarily follow proper grammar or usage, or even need to make any sense I couldn't help but be troubled by a line in a song I heard.

"These are hurried times"

It felt as though I had heard this phrase somewhere before, and after some quick searches I saw a handful of news articles that use the same phrasing in the title, but quite possibly as tribute to a favorite song of the author.

My interpretation of the quote (which may be completely wrong) is that within the present era, things are done in a rush.

However, when I try to read this as is, that the times are hurried, that the times themselves are being rushed through. Is it correct to use the word hurried or any word pertaining to rate of execution to describe time/eras? To help explain this a bit better, would "These are slowed times" also be correct in this sense, to describe that an era actions are performed at a leisurely pace?

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  • If it's not the times that are hurried, then perhaps it's an example of hypallage. Classic example: in a drunken brawl, the brawl is not actually drunk.
    – user28567
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 15:24
  • Can't say I've heard of 'hypallage' before but this describes this perfectly! I'll definitely be remembering this type of usage in the future, thank you!
    – Jeff LaJoie
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 16:02

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The phrase "These are hurried times" means that people or society in the era felt "hurried". There are similar phrases:

These are troubled times.

These are fortunate times.

You can certainly say:

These are slowed times.

This would mean something akin to:

In those times, people/things/technology were slow.

It may not be immediately obvious what you mean but it could work with additional context.

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