time machine

Noun

time machine (plural time machines)

1. A hypothetical device used to travel into the past or the future.
   • If I had a time machine / And if life was a movie scene / I'd rewind, and I'd tell me / "Ru-u-u-u-u-u-u-un"2014, Ingrid Michaelson, Trent Dabbs, busbee, “Time Machine”, in Lights Out, performed by Ingrid Michaelson
2. (informal) Something that appears to take a person or thing to another time, for example through nostalgia or delay.
   • It's a time machine for Photoshop. It's magic. Image makers can not just combine different images, but different points in time from each image.2017, Fine Art Photoshop: Diving Into the World of Photographic Art
   • Conrad Riker, The Last Days of Manhood
     Mayo Clinic research shows heavy squats spike growth hormone by 530%. That's not exercise — it's a time machine for your cells.