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greased lightning

noun

Etymology

Believed to come from the observation that greased machinery tends to run faster, and the notion that if a lightning strike (the fastest normally observed movement) could be greased, it might move even faster. Originally US usage, but soon well known in UK due to Thackeray's use in 1848 (see cite).

Definitions

  1. Something incredibly fast (now mainly used in comparison

    Something incredibly fast (now mainly used in comparison: like or faster than greased lightning).

    • He rode his own horse, Greased Lightning, and won the Garrison cup at Quebec races.
    • And off he pops like greased lightning.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for greased lightning. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA