(the) clock's running

[VicNicSor]

I saw in one thread these explanations:

... if there is a time limit, "the clock is running."

The clock runs.

In the movie Tango & Cash, in the context of a time limit, Gabe says "Clock's running, Ray. Let's go."
Is it idiomatic to just drop the article in speech in this expression?
Thanks.

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes — dropping the article is very common in speech in lots of expressions.

(In BE, 'the clock's ticking' is the usual expression.)

 

[VicNicSor]

Yes — dropping the article is very common in speech in lots of expressions.

(In BE, 'the clock's ticking' is the usual expression.)

Thank you.

 

[Parla]

In AE, it would also be "the clock's ticking", not "running"—although there's a similar expression, "the meter's running". There's also "time's running out".

 

[VicNicSor]

Thank you!

 

[pera11]

What if someone says "Clock's running at 16 hours."
Does that mean that something begins at 16 o'clock or they have time limit of 16 hours to finish the job?

 

[heypresto]

Where have you seen "Clock's running at 16 hours."? In what context?

And what do you mean by "16 o'clock".

 

[pera11]

It's from movie Extraction (2020).
Some guy and a girl are talking about a mission and the girl says:
Gaspar is out of the game. Clock's running at 16 hours. Deadline, Friday, noon.
Proof of life as of six hours ago.

And then the guy says that he will accept the mission.

 

[heypresto]

Ah,OK. I'm guessing that it means that the mission has started and it must be completed in sixteen hours, at noon on Friday.