in the wink of an eye
1
3.5
- idiom
- Informal
- Having made this declaration, the noble, sorrowful, and mighty Frederick, the lawful ruler of all the lands of this region, ordered rose water to be brought, rinsed his hands in it, and in the wink of an eye vanished.
- then in the wink of an eye
Examples
-
He finished the project in the wink of an eye, surprising everyone with his speed.
-
It had been only two months since the shooting, and she knew that whatever her feeling, it wasn't proper to go from viola to violin in the wink of an eye.
Fiction book (1990) -
The Batmobile screams past in the wink of an eye.
Fiction book (1992) -
In the wink of an eye, he attacks, leaping on her.
Fiction book (1996) -
She was up and around the glass-topped desk in the wink of an eye.
Fiction book (1991) -
The crowd cheered, and in the wink of an eye, the magician made the rabbit disappear.
-
Her mood changed in the wink of an eye when she received the good news.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Quickly and without warning
∞
1.0
At once without waiting
743
7.1
Happens quickly and without warning
737
2.7
Very quickly and without warning
356
1.4
In a very short time
310
1.0
Right away without any delay
237
1.0
Immediately without delay
209
1.0
A very short moment that passes quickly
131
2.8
Immediately at the exact place where something happens, often needing a quick response
108
3.3
In a sudden way that gives no warning
34
2.8
A very short moment that passes almost instantly
32
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
25
3.0
Happening suddenly and without warning
25
5.6
Happen at once without delay
24
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
14
7.6
A single sudden action that happens all at once
3
6.0
Very quickly and without hesitation
2
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
2
3.8
A very short time when things change suddenly
2
3.8
In a very short time
1
7.2
In a very short time
1
2.0
Happen very fast
1
5.0
Happens very quickly
1
3.2
A very short moment like the quick closing and opening of an eyelid
1
6.8
Happen very quickly in the short time it takes to blink an eye
1
5.1
Very quickly, in almost no time
Antonyms
How Quickly
310
1.0
- Informal
24
3.3
- Informal
1
3.5
- Informal
32
2.5
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + the + wink + of + an + eye
The phrase literally builds from 'wink' (a very brief closure of the eye, hence a very short time) and 'eye', so the overall meaning 'very quickly; in an instant' is directly inferable from the constituents and the preposition 'in'. This compositional pattern (compare 'in the blink of an eye') is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words would readily understand the idiom.
Etymology
In the wink of an eye comes from the tiny, quick action of a wink — closing one eye for only a moment. Because a wink happens almost instantly, the saying came to mean 'very quickly' or 'suddenly'.