in a breeze
1
3.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
sin esfuerzo
- The test was so simple that I finished it in a breeze.
Examples
-
Dead, sun-blackened tumbleweed chased him in a breeze that smelled like powdered iron and salt.
Fiction book (1991) -
I finished this book in a breeze and loved it!
Blog text (13) -
Like chiffon in a breeze, blown.
Fiction book (1991) -
I looked down, and there were these white and pink flowers in my cup, bobbing against a wall in a breeze, all of it tinted sepia as if it were an old-fashioned photo.
Fiction book (1991) -
She completed her homework in a breeze because the questions were easy.
-
He sailed through the presentation in a breeze, impressing everyone with his confidence.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
At a fast speed or without delay
∞
1.0
Without much effort
446
1.4
In a very short time
163
2.3
Without trouble or delay
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
30
3.1
To do something without needing to try
24
3.5
Quickly and with a lot of energy to get things done
18
3.0
In an easy way without trouble
6
2.4
To act quickly without delay
4
3.8
In a smooth, easy way without pauses
3
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
Happens very quickly
In a very short time
Antonyms
How Easy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase invokes a clear metaphor from the literal 'breeze' (a light wind) to lightness/ease, so a learner who recognizes that metaphor could infer 'very easily'. However, the idiomatic use ('it's a breeze' = 'it's easy') is a lexicalized metaphor not strictly compositional, so a B1 learner who only knows the literal senses may not reliably derive the meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
In a breeze comes from the simple image of a gentle wind: a small breeze can move leaves or light objects with almost no effort. So, if you do something in a breeze, it means you do it 'very easily' or 'very quickly'.