quick as a flash
1
2.0
- idiom
- Informal
- Quick as a flash, I whipped my Edsel around, I sped back to the scene of the crime, got out of the car, and there it was.
Examples
-
She turns her back to him, slips out of her robe, and, quick as a flash, gets under the covers.
Fiction book (1999) -
The cat leaped as quick as a flash through the side window.
-
"Quick as a flash, they made the switch."
Fiction book (1997) -
Then, as quick as a flash, all those great ideas came to a grinding halt!
Blog text (25) -
Quick as a flash, the cat leaps through the side window. Pause.
Fiction book (1994) -
Rosina could be counted on to postpone the lesson quick as a flash.
Academic text (1996) -
Quick as a flash, I said to him, "Jehovah listens to our prayers, it doesn't matter," and everyone laughed.
-
He cleaned out the icebox as quick as a flash.
-
Quick as a flash, she had climbed up and unlocked the little compartment behind it.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Moving or happening quickly
∞
1.0
At a fast speed or without delay
∞
1.0
At once without waiting
∞
1.0
Happening or done without any delay
356
1.4
In a very short time
310
1.0
Right away without any delay
237
1.0
Immediately without delay
75
1.0
Quickly and smoothly
32
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
25
5.6
Happen at once without delay
24
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
22
3.2
Without delay after something happens
19
3.5
Very quickly without delay
6
3.6
Happening or moving very quickly
6
2.4
To act quickly without delay
4
4.2
Happens almost instantly
4
4.1
Very fast, without delay
3
8.8
Happens very quickly and without delay
3
6.0
Very quickly and without hesitation
2
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
2
3.2
Moving or working much faster than usual
1
6.0
Moving at a fairly fast speed
1
3.5
Very quickly, in an instant
1
7.2
In a very short time
1
5.0
Happens very quickly
1
8.0
In a very quick way, like someone running fast
1
8.8
Very fast without waiting
1
5.1
To happen or be done very quickly
1
5.1
Very quickly, in almost no time
1
7.9
In a very short time
Very quickly and in a hurry
Antonyms
How Fast
7
3.4
- Informal
1
2.0
- Informal
49
3.2
156
1.3
103
1.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a simple simile: 'quick' combined with the comparative frame 'as a' and 'flash' (an instant) yields the meaning 'as quick as an instant' or very fast. A B1 learner who knows 'quick', the comparative pattern 'as a', and 'flash' (a very short period) can transparently infer the idiom's meaning; the construction is common across languages.
Etymology
The idiom quick as a flash compares quick action to a sudden bright flash of light, like lightning or a camera flash that happens in an instant. So it means 'very quickly'.