lickety split
Definition
Adverb: With great speed; very quickly or immediately.
Usage
"Lickety-split" is an informal, playful adverb used to emphasize the high speed or immediacy of an action. It is often used in casual conversation and storytelling to add color and energy.
Examples
- The dog ran lickety-split across the yard when it heard the food bag.
- I need you to finish this report lickety-split.
- As soon as the bell rang, the children were out the door lickety-split.
Advanced Usage
- In Narrative Pacing: Often used to create a sense of sudden, swift action in a story.
- The outlaw jumped on his horse and was gone, lickety-split, before the sheriff could draw his gun.
Variants and Related Words
- Lickety-cut (adverb): A less common variant with the same meaning.
- Split (verb): To divide or separate. The phrase "lickety-split" plays on the idea of something happening so fast it seems to "split" time.
Synonyms
- Quickly
- Rapidly
- Immediately
- At once
- Posthaste
- In a flash
- In a jiffy
Related Idioms
- In no time (at all): Very quickly.
- She cleaned the whole house in no time.
- Before you know it: Happening so fast that one hardly notices.
- Summer will be over before you know it.
- At the speed of light: Extremely fast.
- The news spread at the speed of light.
Adverb
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without delay
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she tackled the job lickety-split
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