change of pace

Idioms & Phrases

change of pace

A shift in normal routine, a variation in usual activities or pattern, as in She's smiling in that one photo, just for a change of pace, or After six hours at my desk I need a change of pace, so I'm going for a swim. This term originated in a number of sports where strategy can involve altering the speed of, for example, a pitched or struck ball or a horse's gait. By the mid-1900s it was being transferred to other enterprises.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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