like the deuce

like the deuce

Very quickly or wildly. I ran like the deuce to fetch the doctors. The wind in these parts will start whipping like the deuce after nightfall, so you should stay indoors once it gets dark outside.

See also: deuce, like

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

like the deuce

very fast.

Deuce was first used in 17th-century English in various exclamatory expressions in which it was equated with ‘bad luck’ or ‘mischief’, because in dice-playing two (= deuce) is the lowest and most unlucky throw. From this there soon developed the sense of deuce as ‘the devil’ (i.e. bad luck or mischief personified). Deuce as a euphemism for the devil occurs in a number of expressions, including those above.

See also: deuce, like

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017