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Synonyms

quick on the draw

Idioms  

  1. Also, quick on the trigger. Rapid in acting or reacting, as in You have to be quick on the draw if you want to find low-rent housing here, or Bruce was quick on the trigger when it came to answering questions. The first expression came from the American West's gunslingers and was broadened to mean “a quick reaction” in the first half of the 1900s. The variant originated about 1800.

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.

Some great deals where you don’t have to be quick on the draw:

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2022

Users will see a button to edit a tweet, but you’ve got to be quick on the draw: The function expires 30 minutes after the tweet is sent.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2022

John Mulaney, usually so quick on the draw, seems more interested in shopping for a hallway rug than engaging in any sharp interplay with Seinfeld.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2018

Critics may be quick on the draw with cheap shots, but their aim is way off.

From Washington Times • Jun. 13, 2016

In recognizing man's protection and friendship, the rabbit is as quick on the draw as the gray squirrel.

From The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals A Book of Personal Observations by Hornaday, William Temple

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.