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Glite Dictionary
to make quick work of

to make quick work of

4 3.9
Finish a task quickly and well
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer algo rápidamente
  • Make quick work of them.

So I needed something that I could use to make quick work of all of these edges.

Examples

  • The nurses will make quick work of that.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • In a short light heavyweight bout, Cyrille Diabate made quick work of former heavyweight Chad Griggs.

    Blog text (12)

  • Steve, too, made quick work of it.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • You can make quick work of this.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • So I needed something that I could use to make quick work of all of these edges.

    Adam Savage’s Tested

  • Your skill made quick work of that cyst.

    A Hologram for the King (2016)

  • She made quick work of her muddy face and hands and then dashed up the stairs for fresh clothing.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The aunts will have to reckon with this opponent themselves -- they'd better make quick work of him or they'll miss their train.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Decked out in red-and-white T-shirts, the Lions made quick work of an alley covered in trash and weeds.

    Blog text (15)

  • The new software can make quick work of complex calculations, saving users a lot of time.

Synonyms

to breeze through
vsto make quick work of
  • Informal
5 3.6

To succeed at something quickly and easily

focuses on finishing efficiently rather than merely succeeding
to polish off
vsto make quick work of
  • Informal
4 3.8

To finish something quickly and easily, for example a meal or a task

applies to quick efficient completion of tasks not eating
to make short work of
vsto make quick work of
  • Informal
4 4.4

To finish something quickly and with little effort

is the same meaning with no practical difference
to whip through
vsto make quick work of
  • Informal
2 4.9

To do something quickly and well

is quick and efficient but not always extremely fast
to make light work of
vsto make quick work of
  • Informal
1 4.1

To finish a task quickly and with little effort

stresses speed and efficiency rather than low effort
to crack through
vsto make quick work of
  • US
6.4

To work quickly to finish many tasks in a short time

means quick efficient finishing without stressing pressure situations

Antonyms

to procrastinate
26 6.5

To delay doing something you should do because you avoid it

to dawdle
17 5.0

Move or act slowly and waste time, causing delay

How Fast

to blitz
2 4.2
to make quick work of
  • Informal
4 3.9
to take time
286 2.3
to dawdle
17 5.0

Surface Forms

make quick work of infinitive
made quick work of past
made quick work of past participle
making quick work of present participle
makes quick work of third person singular

Morphology

make + quick + work + of

The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'make' (do/produce) + 'quick' (fast) + 'work' (task/effort) yields the idea of doing a task quickly. This follows a common English construction (cf. 'make short work of') and a B1 learner who knows the constituents can reasonably infer the idiom's meaning.

Etymology

Make quick work of gives a simple picture: someone makes a big job into quick work by doing it fast and with skill. That's why it means 'to do or finish something quickly and efficiently'.