overdrive

verb (used with object), o·ver·drove, o·ver·driv·en, o·ver·driv·ing.

1. to push or carry to excess; overwork.
2. to drive too hard.

noun

3. Machinery, Automotive. a device containing a gear set at such ratio and arrangement as to provide a drive shaft speed greater than the engine crankshaft speed.
4. Informal. an intense state of activity or productivity: The political campaign has shifted into overdrive.

noun (ˈəʊvəˌdraɪv)

1. a very high gear in a motor vehicle used at high speeds to reduce wear and save fuel
2. in overdrive in a state of intense activity
3. into overdrive into a state of intense activity

verb (ˌəʊvəˈdraɪv) -drives, -driving, -drove or -driven

4. (tr) to drive too hard or too far; overwork or overuse

n.“speed-increasing gear in an automobile,” 1929, from over- + drive (n.).