in a flash

Idioms  

1. Also,. Quickly, immediately. For example, I'll be with you in a flash, or He said he'd be done in a jiffy, or I'll be off the phone in a second, or I felt a drop or two, and in a trice there was a downpour. The first idiom alludes to a flash of lightning and dates from about 1800. The word jiffy, meaning “a short time,” is of uncertain origin and dates from the late 1700s (as does the idiom using it); a second, literally one-sixtieth of a minute, has been used vaguely to mean “a very short time” since the early 1800s; and trice originally meant “a single pull at something” and has been used figuratively since the 1500s.

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Example Sentences

The American president is about to appear when the broadcast abruptly cuts off and the room blanks out in a flash of white.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Around 25 outfits will strut the catwalk on Sunday, a moment that "goes by in a flash".

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

It was all a very clear reminder that the best-laid plans and political strategies can be derailed in a flash.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

On stage, they could jump between being affectionate and combative in a flash, finding the humor in hyper-specific yet universal situations.

From Salon • Oct. 18, 2025

Even in the midst of his fear and strain it occurred to him that Dandelion must be very fast: he had covered the distance in a flash.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams