quick as a flash
1
2.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
rápido como un rayo
- 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
446
1.4
In a very short time
344
1.0
Immediately without delay
330
1.0
Right away without any delay
130
1.0
Happening or done without any delay
84
1.0
Quickly and smoothly
50
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
25
5.6
Happen at once without delay
13
3.5
Very quickly without delay
7
3.2
Without delay after something happens
6
2.4
To act quickly without delay
6
3.6
Happening or moving very quickly
4
6.0
Very quickly and without hesitation
4
8.8
Happens very quickly and without delay
3
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
2
4.2
Happens almost instantly
1
3.2
Moving or working much faster than usual
1
5.1
To happen or be done very quickly
1
3.5
Very quickly, in an instant
1
6.0
Moving at a fairly fast speed
1
8.8
Very fast without waiting
1
8.0
In a very quick way, like someone running fast
Very quickly, in almost no time
Happens very quickly
Very fast, without delay
In a very short time
Very quickly and in a hurry
In a very short time
Antonyms
How Fast
6
3.4
- Informal
1
2.0
- Informal
50
3.2
174
1.3
54
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'.