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Glite Dictionary
lick of

lick of

3 6.8
A very small amount of something, often a taste like honey
  • idiom
  • /lɪk ʌv/
  • Informal
translation icon : pizca de
  • I fixed myself a cup of instant coffee and poured in a good lick of whiskey.
  • lick of flame
  • lick of paint
  • one lick of

Examples

  • Can I have a lick of that delicious cake?

  • No, I took a lick of it and it's so good.

  • Can I at least have a lick of wine?

    In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)

  • Here, you can have a lick of mine.

    Chuck & Buck (2000)

  • Would you like a lick of my lolly?

    31 (2016)

  • A new coat of paint and a lick of polish had worked a remarkable change in the place.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Once we've unpacked and give this place a lick of paint...

    Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012)

  • She took a lick of her ice cream cone and smiled.

  • He enjoyed a lick of the sweet chocolate sauce.

Synonyms

taste
vslick of
324 1.4

A small sample or short experience of something

is a tinier sample focused on a quick mouth impression
bite
vslick of
302 1.0

A small amount of food eaten quickly

is a tinier sample not a full eaten mouthful
morsel
vslick of
28 3.2

A small piece of food that you eat in one bite

is smaller and used only as a quick mouth sample
a bite of
vslick of
25 1.0

A small piece of food taken from a larger serving

is about a tiny sample rather than a taken piece
a nibble of
vslick of
2.5

A small bite of food

is used for a tinier sample rather than a real portion

Antonyms

surplus
192 3.1

An amount that is more than what is needed

abundance
91 3.3

A large amount of something, more than you need

How Much

a lot
∞ 1.0
some
∞ 1.0
a little
∞ 1.0
lick of
  • Informal
3 6.8
drop
349 1.0

Surface Forms

lick of singular
licks of plural

Morphology

lick + of

The sense of 'lick' as a small, quick touch (or taste) extended metaphorically to mean a small amount combines transparently with the preposition 'of' to yield 'a small amount of X'. This compositional, easily inferable mapping (e.g. 'a lick of paint', 'a lick of ice cream') follows normal English patterns and a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would very likely understand the meaning.

Etymology

Lick of comes from the image of a quick lick — a tiny touch with the tongue or a quick brush, like a small taste or a fast stroke of paint, and that small-touch picture is why lick of means 'a small amount' today.