lickety-split

English

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lickety-split

Where it comes from

First attested during the 19th century, in the US, equivalent to lickedy + split, perhaps as a reference to the flick or darting of a snake's forked tongue. The forms lickety-cut and licketie are similarly attested; and forms with t are likely due to Scottish influence.

adverb lickedy-split

not comparable Quickly; as fast as possible; in short order. At the sound of the starting gun, they were off and running lickety-split.

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adv Translations

Español	al toque, enseguida, seguidamente, de seguida, en un pispás, en un santiamén

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MLA

"lickety-split." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lickety-split. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lickety-split. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lickety-split

Chicago

"lickety-split." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lickety-split.

BibTeX

@misc{lickety_split_2026,
  title = {lickety-split},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lickety-split},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}