Word for moving quickly enough for things to seem blurry

Question

I want to describe an anecdote, but want to use a word to describe the time period. So in physics when you move quickly enough to approach the speed of light, time breaks down and relativity kicks in. I want to describe a period in the past that I was moving so quickly at the time (such as through college) that the events seem to mesh together. Like a very, very fast moving object in relativity. Preferably a single word I can use such as

I was moving _____ so everything was unclear.

Or

I was moving like a ____ so everything seems to mesh together.

Or

I was so ____ that everything seems blurry now.

Naturally I can just give the long winded physics explanation, but that's extremely verbose, and distracts from the subject matter because the need to explain what the metaphor is directly.

DjinTonic · Answer

You could use a more descriptive verb in place of "was moving."

I rocketed / was rocketing so fast that...

rocket (v.)

Intransitive. gen. To move like a rocket; esp. to move rapidly; to travel at great speed. Frequently with adverb of direction. OED

To travel rapidly in or as if in a rocket m-w

Batting left-handed, Mantle took his usual vicious swing, and when the
ball hit the bat, it rocketed toward the outfield so fast that the
Yankees sitting on the bench almost got whiplash jerking their heads
to the right. Tony Castro; Mickey Mantle

Either he is a genius who graduated law school before puberty or he's
a trust-fund baby who was rocketed through school because his
father made a donation for a new library wing. Addison Plaisance;
Social Media Destruction

Lee Zhiyuan · Answer

Zap past could work in that context, as in, "college zapped past me like I was looking out a fast moving car."

Rat With Wings · Answer

I, personally, would just use a different metaphor; using speed about foggy memories is sort of confusing, and I doubt there's a good word to use; maybe something more like about how much was happening in your life?

Answered by Rat With Wings on December 24, 2021

Word for moving quickly enough for things to seem blurry

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