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presto chango

American  
[cheyn-joh] / ˈtʃeɪn dʒoʊ /

verb (used without object)

  1. change at once (usually used imperatively, as in a magician's command).

noun

  1. a change occurring suddenly and as if by magic.

    There is always an element of presto chango in international relations.

Etymology

Origin of presto chango

Rhyming alteration of change

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was, in other words, one of the countless lovely assistants who helped pull off the least probable presto chango of our time.

From New York Times • Nov. 26, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.