a crash course

A quick yet thorough tutorial on some topic or process. I got a crash course in answering the phones before the receptionist went on vacation. Hmm, I only know enough about Excel to give you a crash course. A: "Well, I suppose I could give you a crash course in swimming—basically, just enough to keep you from drowning." B: "That works for me!"

crash course (in something)

a short and intense training course in something. I took a crash course in ballroom dancing so we wouldn't look stupid on the dance floor.

crash course

A short, intensive training course, as in Daisy planned to take a crash course in cooking before she got married. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

See also: course, crash

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

Critique: Offering more than 25 step-by-step demonstrations to guide novice artists through creating each body part of their manga characters; featuring over 130 lessons for facial anatomy, poses, clothing and accessories, and common hairstyles and emotions; turning full-sized manga characters into chibis with easy techniques; and trying the character invention game to help create an endless supply of unique manga characters and stories, "Manga Crash Course" offers a complete and thoroughly 'user friendly' course of instruction under one cover, making it very highly recommended for personal, art school, and community library Art Instruction reference collections.

Manga Crash Course

Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "Crash Course In Storytime Fundamentals" by Penny Peck (a children's library for more than 25 years) is a 136 page instruction manual and guide that is thoroughly 'user friendly' and enhanced with simple, easy-to-follow directions.

Crash Course In Storytime Fundamentals, second edition

Sanjeev's Gaelic crash course will also be featured in a new BBC Alba show to be screened in April.

Sanjeev is Still Gael for radio show

"Then, I was hit with the realisation that I could make a complete fool out of myself, so I had to give myself a crash course on the basics.

Larkin shows his Mastery in cooking competition

Crash Course is the brainchild of the "VlogBrothers" (John and Hank Green).

Learnin' online: with videos and such

I will be answering that exact question in my upcoming one-day Weight Loss Crash Course on February 2.

Feeling Fat in 2013?

Alesha, 33, had only "a three-month crash course" on dancing when she partnered Matthew Cutler to victory in the 2007 series, he said.

I was outraged I heard when be Strictly she would judge; BRENDAN BLAST AT POP STAR

And lots of sing-along songs that are all vaguely recognisable because they sound like a crash course in the history of rock!

Retro tunes

London, Sep 23 (ANI): Cancer-stricken Michael Douglas is reportedly taking crash course in cancer to find out how bad these cancer cells can be.

Michael Douglas having 'crash course' in cancer

Teachers recently became students for five days in the library at Parker (Arizona) High School as educators from primary schools throughout LaPaz County got a crash course in math, facilitated by two faculty members from the Lake Havasu City campus of Mohave Community College in northwestern Arizona.

Wonder if David Cameron will give England's politicians a crash course in hurling furniture across piazzas?

Ministry of dance

They will also receive a crash course in the highly specialised techniques of cooking exceptional Punjabi cuisine.

Lesson in cookery for pupils