no sooner ... than
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no sooner (do something) than (do something else)
One action had just concluded when something else happened or began. No sooner had I wrapped up the meeting than everyone bolted from their seats. She had no sooner taken the meal out of the oven than someone started knocking at the door.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
no sooner ... than
As soon as: No sooner was the frost off the ground than the work began.
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.