lickety-split — 1852, Amer.Eng. (earlier lickety cut, lickety click, and simply licketie, 1817), from LICK (Cf. lick) (n.1) in dialectal sense very fast sprint in a race (1809) on the notion of a lick as a fast thing (Cf. blink) … Etymology dictionary
lickety-split — ☆ lickety split [lik′ə tē split′ ] adv. [fanciful formation based on LICK, n. 4c] Informal at great speed … English World dictionary
lickety-split — adv. colloq. at full speed; headlong. Etymology: prob. f. LICK (cf. at full lick) + SPLIT * * * lickety split 7 [ˌlɪkəti ˈsplɪt] [ˌlɪkəti ˈsplɪt] adverb (NAmE … Useful english dictionary
lickety-split — [likidi”split] mod. very fast. □ They ran across the field lickety split. □ We were there lickety split in my new car … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
lickety-split — /lik i tee split /, adv. Informal. at great speed; rapidly: to travel lickety split. [1835 45, Amer.; perh. dial. licket rag (for wiping in haste, with one lick) + Y1 + SPLIT, as in split second] * * * … Universalium
lickety-split — also[lickety cut] {adv.}, {informal} At full speed; with a rush. * /As soon as school was out the boys ran lickety split to the swimming pool./ … Dictionary of American idioms
lickety-split — also[lickety cut] {adv.}, {informal} At full speed; with a rush. * /As soon as school was out the boys ran lickety split to the swimming pool./ … Dictionary of American idioms
lickety split — adverb without delay she tackled the job lickety split • Syn: ↑lickety cut … Useful english dictionary
lickety-split — lick′e•ty split′ [[t]ˈlɪk ɪ ti[/t]] adv. Informal. inf at great speed; rapidly: to travel lickety split[/ex] • Etymology: 1835–45, amer … From formal English to slang
lickety-split — adverb Quickly; as fast as possible; in short order. At the sound of the starting gun, they were off and running lickety split … Wiktionary