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lickety-split

[ lik-i-tee-split ]
/ ˈlɪk ɪ tiˈsplɪt /
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adverb Informal.
at great speed; rapidly: to travel lickety-split.
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Origin of lickety-split

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; lickety, a fanciful extension of lick “to move quickly” + split, “fraction,” as in split second
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lickety-split in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lickety-split

lickety-split
/ (ˈlɪkɪtɪˈsplɪt) /

adverb
US and Canadian informal very quickly; speedily

Word Origin for lickety-split

C19: from lick + split
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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