in a flash
Immediately; very quickly; at once. Just call us on this number if you have any problems, and we'll be back in a flash. Don't worry, boss, I'll have this report typed up in a flash! A: "Oh no, I jammed the department's printer again." B: "Don't worry, I'll be over there in a flash to fix it."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in a flash
Fig. quickly; immediately. I'll be there in a flash. It happened in a flash. Suddenly my wallet was gone.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in a flash
Also, in a jiffy or second or trice . Quickly, immediately. For example, I'll be with you in a flash, or He said he'd be done in a jiffy, or I'll be off the phone in a second, or I felt a drop or two, and in a trice there was a downpour. The first idiom alludes to a flash of lightning and dates from about 1800. The word jiffy, meaning "a short time," is of uncertain origin and dates from the late 1700s (as does the idiom using it); a second, literally one-sixtieth of a minute, has been used vaguely to mean "a very short time" since the early 1800s; and trice originally meant "a single pull at something" and has been used figuratively since the 1500s.
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.
in/like a ˈflash
(informal) very quickly; suddenly: ‘Sixty-six!’ she answered in a flash. ♢ This new liquid will clean your floor in a flash.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in a flash
mod. right away; immediately. (see also
flash.)
Get over here in a flash, or else. McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.