nothing flat
2
8.5
- idiom
- Informal
- If he so much as squirmed the wrong way, he found himself plucked up, transported to a toilet, stripped down, and ready to go in nothing flat.
Examples
-
He managed to solve the problem in nothing flat, impressing everyone around.
-
Larry said he knew karate; he could handle him in nothing flat.
Fiction book (1991) -
Finding it, she pulls a lock pick from her fabulous coiffure and picks the lock in nothing flat.
Fiction book (1998) -
We can finish this project in nothing flat if we all work together.
-
After a quick discussion, they reached an agreement in nothing flat.
Synonyms
310
1.0
Right away without any delay
192
2.0
Very quickly, in a short time
21
3.7
Very quickly and without delay
19
3.5
Very quickly without delay
11
4.3
To do something as fast and as hard as possible
2
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
2
6.6
Immediately without any delay
1
7.0
In a very short time
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal senses of 'nothing' (not at all) and 'flat' (plainly/without softening) do not transparently combine to yield the temporal sense 'very quickly' or 'immediately.' This is an idiomatic/colloquial intensifier whose meaning cannot be reliably predicted from its parts, so a B1 learner knowing the words would likely not infer the expression's temporal sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Nothing flat may come from a racing image: if a horse runs flat out with nothing to slow it, it reaches the finish at once. That's why nothing flat means 'very quickly'.