Lickety-split
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
At once and at very high speed, with an energetic or comic suggestion of racing away without delay. Informal, vivid, and often comic. It describes speed more readily than careful efficiency. Regional use: American English, now understood more widely.
Origin
This playful American adverb belongs to a family of speed words that included 'lickety-cut,' 'lickety-click,' and the earlier 'licketie.' Dictionaries differ over which spelling supplies the first secure date: Merriam-Webster records 1818, while Etymonline dates the full 'lickety-split' form to 1852 and notes earlier relatives. 'Split' reinforces sudden rapid movement, but the first element is an expressive formation rather than a securely explained reference to licking an object.
Research Sources
Variants
- Lickety-cut
- Lickety-click
Usage Examples
- When the bell rang, the children ran lickety-split across the yard.
- The courier reached the station lickety-split and caught the last train.
- One glimpse of the approaching storm sent the picnickers home lickety-split.