double quick
- idiom
- Informal
:
rápidamente
- Fall in over here, double quick now!
Examples
-
Double quick, forward march!
-
We need to finish this project double quick to meet the deadline.
-
Well, then, we're gonna have to get her back double quick, then, won't we?
-
She completed her homework double quick to have time to play outside.
-
The train arrived double quick, much earlier than expected.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Moving or happening quickly
∞
1.0
At a fast speed or without delay
960
1.0
Without any delay
446
1.4
In a very short time
330
1.0
Right away without any delay
130
1.0
Happening or done without any delay
50
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
27
3.7
Very quickly and without delay
7
3.2
Without delay after something happens
6
3.6
Happening or moving very quickly
4
8.8
Happens very quickly and without delay
3
7.0
Happens very soon
2
2.9
At twice the normal speed to move or work
1
3.2
Moving or working much faster than usual
1
5.1
To happen or be done very quickly
1
6.0
Moving at a fairly fast speed
1
2.0
Happen very fast
1
8.8
Very fast without waiting
1
8.0
In a very quick way, like someone running fast
In a very short time
Very quick, as when soldiers march at twice the normal speed
In a very short time
Very quickly and in a hurry
In a very fast way that happens almost instantly
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'very quickly' is directly derivable from combining 'double' (doubly/twice) with 'quick' (fast) as an intensifier meaning roughly 'twice as fast' or 'very fast'. This is a straightforward compositional intensifier + adjective pattern found in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase double quick comes from soldiers' marching orders: when an officer shouted the command double quick, the men changed from a normal step to a much faster run, with double and quick showing extra speed. That's why double quick now means 'very quickly'.