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Glite Dictionary
to make it snappy

to make it snappy

7 7.7
To tell someone to hurry
  • idiom
  • Informal
: darse prisa
  • Please make it snappy; I have a train to catch.
  • Okay, make it snappy
  • Well, make it snappy
  • Go, make it snappy

Examples

Synonyms

to hurry
vsto make it snappy
∞ 1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

is an urgent spoken instruction rather than a neutral action word
right away
vsto make it snappy
915 1.0

Without any delay

is used to tell someone to hurry rather than just state immediacy
to hurry up
vsto make it snappy
  • Informal
505 1.0

To move or act more quickly to avoid being late

is a short instruction to be faster without extra force
to move it
vsto make it snappy
  • Informal
240 6.7

To hurry so you do something faster, often to avoid being late

gives a quick instruction but usually less blunt or rude
chop-chop
vsto make it snappy
  • Archaic
30 8.1

To tell someone to hurry in a quick way

is a similar hurry request but less dialectal or playful
straightaway
vsto make it snappy
22 3.2

Without delay after something happens

functions as a command to hurry instead of a neutral adverb
on the double
vsto make it snappy
  • Informal
21 3.7

Very quickly and without delay

asks for quick action but with normal urgency
no time to waste
vsto make it snappy
13 3.3

A situation that needs action right away

is a brief order for speed rather than a stress on delay
post-haste
vsto make it snappy
  • Formal
4 7.4

As quickly as possible

is a quick command but often more casual in speech
lickety-split
vsto make it snappy
  • Informal
4 9.9

People say it to tell someone to hurry

is the quick request form but without the playful tone

Antonyms

to delay
442 1.4

To make something happen later than planned

to take one's time
1 3.5

To do something slowly and carefully without hurrying

How Fast

to make it snappy
  • Informal
7 7.7
to hurry up
  • Informal
505 1.0

Surface Forms

make it snappy infinitive
made it snappy past
made it snappy past participle
making it snappy present participle
makes it snappy third person singular

Morphology

make + it + snappy

The phrase literally invites someone to 'make it [be] snappy', and a learner who knows 'make' and 'snappy' (quick, brisk) can plausibly infer a meaning like 'make it quick' → 'hurry up'. However, the fixed colloquial imperative form and the less frequent adjectival use of 'snappy' for 'quick' mean the exact pragmatic sense and register may not be fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Make it snappy may come from the quick action of a snap, like snapping your fingers to hurry someone. That's why saying make it snappy means 'do it quickly'.