a lick and a promise
A hasty, careless, or superficial effort. I told the intern to give the proofreading a lick and a promise, as we were supposed to have the book out weeks ago. I didn't have time to clean the entire house before my parents arrived, so I just did it with a lick and a promise. Any amount of dusting would be an improvement, so just give those shelves a lick and a promise.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*lick and a promise
Fig. a hasty bit of work; a quick once-over. (*Typically: finish something with ~; give something ~.) I was pressed for time, so I just gave the housework a lick and a promise. Mary spent so much time on her history paper that she had to finish her math homework with a lick and a promise.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
lick and a promise
A superficial effort made without care or enthusiasm.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
lick and a promise, a
A superficial cleaning; a hasty, perfunctory performance. The term, in which the promise is to do a better job sometime later, possibly alludes to the quick lick a cat might give itself. It dates from the nineteenth century. The
OED cites W. White’s
All Round the Wrekin (1860): “We only give the cheap ones a lick and a promise.” See also
hit the high spots.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
lick and a promise
A superficial effort. Rather than wash themselves thoroughly to their parents' satisfaction, youngsters who were in a rush would splash on a little water and say they'd do a better job later. The phrase was extended to apply to any fast and incomplete job.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price