It mans that if you have to finish something before a specified time, you are in a race against the clock: do you complete your task first or does the clock reach the time first?
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The origin of the idiom "against the clock" is believed to come from the world of sports, particularly Track and Field events. Athletes are often timed with a clock during races and competitions, and the phrase was likely first used to describe a situation where a competitor is racing against time to finish before a specific deadline or time limit. It has since been adopted more generally to refer to any situation where someone is working urgently to complete a task within a specified timeframe.
It was in 1960 in America
Hello, to work against the clock means that you have a limited amount of time to do something in.
An Americanism from the 1930's referring to the continual routine of competative activity
More than likely, this idiom comes from archery and shooting. Being good with guns and projectile weapons is referred to as having "good marksmanship." So it means you hit what you aim to hit. So as an idiom, if you say something exactly as intended and your audience understands it the way you meant it, and you strike something your audience believes to be true, then you hit your mark.
If the variables x and y are in direct proportion then the graph of y against x is a straight line through the origin. If the variables x and y are in inverse proportion then the graph of y against x is a rectangular hyperbola. Alternatively, the graph of y against 1/x (or 1/y against x) is a straight line through the origin.