twinkling of an eye
1
3.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
parpadeo
- My plans for the weekend changed in the twinkling of an eye when my friend invited me to a concert.
- in a twinkling of an eye
- changed in the twinkling of an eye
Examples
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Some things drive you batty for days, others click in the twinkling of an eye.
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They also believed that one day, as the Bible also foretold, Jesus would return and snatch true believers away in the twinkling of an eye, and they would immediately join him in heaven.
Fiction book (1998) -
We shall not all sleep, but shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye.
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Jesus will come back to this tired, sorry Earth in a moment and a twinkling of an eye!
Fiction book (2002) -
All this in less time than the twinkling of an eye.
Blog text (14) -
In the twinkling of an eye... the body will be transformed into spirit.
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Could this change in the twinkling of an eye be happening spiritually already?
Blog text (24) -
Generations of theatrical expertise snuffed out in the twinkling of an eye.
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At this dizzy rate, it would have taken but the twinkling of an eye for the universe to swell to gigantic size.
Academic text (1992) -
The reason for it is not known for sure, but in the twinkling of an eye, all the boats sank to the bottom of the sea and thus far haven't been seen again.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
57
3.9
A sudden short feeling or idea that comes quickly
50
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
35
2.8
A very short moment that passes almost instantly
8
2.5
A very short moment of time
2
1.0
A quick closing and opening of an eyelid that keeps the eye wet and protected
1
3.5
Very quickly, in an instant
1
3.8
In a very short time
1
3.2
A very short moment like the quick closing and opening of an eyelid
Very quickly, in almost no time
Happen very quickly in the short time it takes to blink an eye
Antonyms
How Short
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase directly combines 'twinkling' (a very short moment) with 'eye', so the sense 'a very brief moment' is transparently derivable from the constituent meanings. This compositional image (like 'in the blink of an eye') is common cross-linguistically and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The phrase twinkling of an eye comes from the simple image of a quick flash or blink in the eye, since a twinkling is a tiny, very fast movement or sparkle. So, saying something happens in the twinkling of an eye means it happens 'very quickly' or 'suddenly'.