like Speedy Gonzales
1
8.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
como Speedy Gonzales
- He finished the race like Speedy Gonzales, leaving everyone else far behind.
Examples
-
The delivery arrived like Speedy Gonzales, much sooner than I expected.
-
We made Captain look like Speedy Gonzales.
Fiction book (1990) -
She completed her homework like Speedy Gonzales, racing through each question.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Moving or happening quickly
∞
1.0
At a fast speed or without delay
446
1.4
In a very short time
84
1.0
Quickly and smoothly
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
24
3.5
Quickly and with a lot of energy to get things done
23
3.2
Acting quickly with little care
6
2.4
To act quickly without delay
6
3.6
Happening or moving very quickly
4
4.7
Very quickly and with great force
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
In a very short time
Very fast, without delay
Very quick, as when soldiers march at twice the normal speed
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 inferable from the constituents 'like' (similar to) + 'speedy' (fast); a B1 learner who knows those words will readily interpret this as a simile meaning to do something quickly. The proper name 'Speedy Gonzales' provides a cultural reference to a fast cartoon character but is not required for deriving the core meaning, so the expression is compositionally transparent.
Etymology
The adverb like Speedy Gonzales comes from a cartoon mouse called Speedy Gonzales who is famous for running very fast. That's why people say like Speedy Gonzales to mean 'very quickly'.