lickety-split
very quickly
TRANSLATION
lickety-split = sehr schnell, wie der Blitz, blitzschnell, Haste was kannste --- GOOGLE INDEX lickety-split: approximately 500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
I have been reviewing some of the development plans for the boomtown neighborhood and am amazed they are all being approved LICKETY-SPLIT.
(Seattle Times)
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A LICKETY-SPLIT Mac app for stop-motion video creation
(Macworld magazine article headline)
(Seattle Times)
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A LICKETY-SPLIT Mac app for stop-motion video creation
(Macworld magazine article headline)
Did you
know?
lickety-split
adjective
- very quickly
(Cambridge Dictionary)
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Lickety-split is a chiefly American phrase that originated in the 19th century. There is some speculation that it has Scottish influences since "lick," as in speed, can also be found in some earlier Scottish dialects, plus the fact that many Scots immigrated to the US in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Why split would have been added is a mystery, but several variations such as lickety cut, lickety click, and lickety switch seem to suggest that expression is simply onomatopoeic, meaning it imitates a sound or a concept such as a ticking clock or the clacking sound of a train running on a track.
Lick, by the way, is used in several other senses such as a small quantity (He doesn't have a lick of common sense), an attempt (You ought to give Nordic walking a lick if you need exercise) and a solo on a musical instrument, especially on an electric guitar (He really played some fantastic licks tonight).
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SYNONYMS
in a heartbeat, in a flash, swiftly, in nothing flat, chop chop, quickly, rapidly, in double time, flat out, at full speed
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I need the report lickety-split for a board presentation on Monday."
---
Thanks to Stefan for suggesting today's word!
adjective
- very quickly
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
Lickety-split is a chiefly American phrase that originated in the 19th century. There is some speculation that it has Scottish influences since "lick," as in speed, can also be found in some earlier Scottish dialects, plus the fact that many Scots immigrated to the US in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Why split would have been added is a mystery, but several variations such as lickety cut, lickety click, and lickety switch seem to suggest that expression is simply onomatopoeic, meaning it imitates a sound or a concept such as a ticking clock or the clacking sound of a train running on a track.
Lick, by the way, is used in several other senses such as a small quantity (He doesn't have a lick of common sense), an attempt (You ought to give Nordic walking a lick if you need exercise) and a solo on a musical instrument, especially on an electric guitar (He really played some fantastic licks tonight).
---
SYNONYMS
in a heartbeat, in a flash, swiftly, in nothing flat, chop chop, quickly, rapidly, in double time, flat out, at full speed
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I need the report lickety-split for a board presentation on Monday."
---
Thanks to Stefan for suggesting today's word!
