wind back the clock

present singular third person winds back the clock · participle present winding back the clock · participle past wound back the clock · past wound back the clock · alternative wind the clock back

1. figurativelyidiomaticTo return in time to an earlier period of history.

   But wind the clock back some 60 years, and you would find that away from the South East of England, the North West once had the most extensive and varied selection of electric routes in the country.

   2021 February 24, John Crosse, “North West Electrics”, in RAIL, number 925, page 62

   Synonyms: turn back the clock, turn back time