Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In mech., adapted for producing two rates of speed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Adapted for producing or for receiving either of two speeds; -- said of a power-transmitting device.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • For large swaths of Australian industry, the result is a spot on the losing side of what locals are terming a two-speed economy.

    Caught in a Steel Trap David Fickling 2011

  • If BHP's predictions are accurate the realities of the so-called "two-speed" economy and the sheer scale of the mining boom will begin to sink in.

    NEWS.com.au | Top Stories 2011

  • The push for deeper cooperation within the euro zone also awakens fears among the 10 members of the European Union that do not use the euro that Europe will break into two blocs - usually referred to as two-speed Europe - divided by different rules for those in the currency union and those outside of it.

    NYT > Home Page By NICHOLAS KULISH 2011

  • For a generation now, they have been complaining to anyone who would listen that the sport had become "cyclisme a deux vitesses," or two-speed cycling: one speed for the clean French and another for the doped-up foreigners.

    The Sound of Frenchmen Gloating John W. Miller 2011

  • Writing last week in L'Equipe, the bible of French sports, Philippe Bouvet wrote that "this year has wiped away the two-speed cycling of the past where the French were often mocked."

    The Sound of Frenchmen Gloating John W. Miller 2011

  • But Gurría outlined a two-speed growth, with emerging economies like Brazil, China and India forging ahead.

    OECD Says World Economy Recovering; Cautions Against Complacency 2011

  • SYDNEY—Shrugging off worries over the rising cost of living and a two-speed economy, Australia ranks among the top nations in the world for lifestyle and well-being, with its people working less and getting paid more than 33 other nations measured by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, in its new Better Life index.

    Australians Among Happiest, OECD Lifestyle Index Shows Enda Curran 2011

  • Either a mechanism has to be found to allow a two-speed Europe where the countries of the periphery are not hobbled by an exchange rate that is totally inappropriate for their economic wellbeing, or the eurozone must consider political union where the more prosperous areas routinely help the less well-off.

    We need strong leaders in the eurozone | Editorial 2011

  • Known for its strong economy driven by a mining boom and an unemployment rate of 4.9%, recent consumer sentiment surveys have indicated a gloomier mood amongst Australians, who complain about rising costs of living and an emerging two-speed economy, with non-resources industries like tourism and retail suffering from a high exchange rate and consumer reticence.

    Australians Among Happiest, OECD Lifestyle Index Shows Enda Curran 2011

  • The news is a further sign of the stresses that Australia's two-speed economy is causing.

    BlueScope to Write Down $932 Million David Fickling 2011

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