Sometimes, people do things very fast. They may speak fast, move fast, or finish work quickly. When someone is speedy, we often use special phrases to talk about it. These are called idioms. Idioms are fun ways to say something without using regular words.
For example, instead of saying “She ran fast,” we might say “She ran like the wind.” These phrases help us understand and describe quick actions in a colorful way. In this article, you will learn many idioms that talk about doing things fast. You can use them in your writing or when talking with friends. Learning these idioms will make your English sound more natural and fun.
Idioms for Quick
1. Quick as a flash
Meaning: Very fast
For Example: She grabbed the ball as quick as a flash./He was gone quick as a flash.
Alternatively: Like lightning/Super fast
2. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Very quickly
For Example: The cat disappeared in the blink of an eye./The game was over in the blink of an eye.
Alternatively: Very fast/In a second
3. Like greased lightning
Meaning: Extremely fast
For Example: He ran like greased lightning./The car sped off like greased lightning.
Alternatively: Very quick/Super speedy
4. At the drop of a hat
Meaning: Right away, without delay
For Example: She’ll help at the drop of a hat./He starts singing at the drop of a hat.
Alternatively: Right now/Instantly
5. In no time
Meaning: Very soon or very fast
For Example: We finished our homework in no time./Dinner will be ready in no time.
Alternatively: Quickly/Fast
6. Faster than a speeding bullet
Meaning: Extremely fast
For Example: He ran faster than a speeding bullet./The squirrel moved faster than a speeding bullet.
Alternatively: Super quick/Lightning fast
7. In a heartbeat
Meaning: Very quickly or without waiting
For Example: I’d help you in a heartbeat./He’d join the team in a heartbeat.
Alternatively: Right away/Quickly
8. In record time
Meaning: Faster than ever before
For Example: She cleaned her room in record time./He finished the race in record time.
Alternatively: Super fast/New best time
9. Like the wind
Meaning: Very fast
For Example: She ran like the wind./The kids dashed off like the wind.
Alternatively: Fast/Swift
10. At lightning speed
Meaning: As fast as lightning
For Example: He typed at lightning speed./The news spread at lightning speed.
Alternatively: Really fast/Quick
11. Breakneck speed
Meaning: Very fast, sometimes dangerously fast
For Example: They rode their bikes at breakneck speed./The rollercoaster went at breakneck speed.
Alternatively: Very fast/Super speedy
12. Snap to it
Meaning: Start quickly
For Example: Snap to it, kids!/The coach said, “Snap to it!”
Alternatively: Get moving/Hurry up
13. In a jiffy
Meaning: In a very short time
For Example: I’ll be back in a jiffy./She’ll finish in a jiffy.
Alternatively: Quickly/Very soon
14. Quick on the draw
Meaning: Reacts or answers very fast
For Example: He’s quick on the draw with math answers./She’s quick on the draw in games.
Alternatively: Fast thinker/Ready
15. Like a shot
Meaning: Very fast
For Example: The dog took off like a shot./He got up like a shot when the bell rang.
Alternatively: Suddenly/Quickly
16. Fast track
Meaning: A way to do something quickly
For Example: She’s on the fast track to graduation./He took the fast track to success.
Alternatively: Quick path/Shortcut
17. Get a move on
Meaning: Start quickly
For Example: Get a move on or we’ll be late./Mom told us to get a move on.
Alternatively: Hurry/Let’s go
18. As fast as your legs can carry you
Meaning: As fast as you can run
For Example: He ran as fast as his legs could carry him./She left as fast as her legs could carry her.
Alternatively: Run fast/Dash
19. Beat the clock
Meaning: Finish before time runs out
For Example: He beat the clock on his test./We beat the clock and made it to school on time.
Alternatively: Finished fast/Made it in time
20. Quick as a bunny
Meaning: Very fast
For Example: She jumped up quick as a bunny./He moved quick as a bunny to get snacks.
Alternatively: Swift/Fast mover
21. Speedy Gonzales
Meaning: Very fast person
For Example: He’s like Speedy Gonzales on the field./She’s the Speedy Gonzales of our class.
Alternatively: Super fast/Quick person
22. Like clockwork
Meaning: Happens quickly and on time
For Example: The bus comes like clockwork./She finishes her chores like clockwork.
Alternatively: Always on time/Regular and fast
23. Move at a rapid pace
Meaning: Move quickly
For Example: The project moved at a rapid pace./The line moved at a rapid pace.
Alternatively: Fast/Speedy
24. Blink and you’ll miss it
Meaning: So fast it’s hard to see
For Example: The trick was so fast blink and you’ll miss it./The bird flew by blink and you’ll miss it.
Alternatively: Very quick/Over fast
25. Jet speed
Meaning: As fast as a jet
For Example: That plane took off at jet speed./He worked at jet speed.
Alternatively: Super quick/Fast as a plane
26. Hit the ground running
Meaning: Start something quickly and with energy
For Example: She hit the ground running on day one of school./He hit the ground running in the game.
Alternatively: Start strong/Begin fast
27. Up and running
Meaning: Working or going quickly
For Example: The computer is up and running./The team was up and running in no time.
Alternatively: Started/Working fast
28. Do a quick job
Meaning: Finish something fast
For Example: He did a quick job cleaning his desk./She did a quick job on the drawing.
Alternatively: Finished fast/Didn’t take long
29. Whip through
Meaning: Finish something fast
For Example: I whipped through my homework./She whipped through the story.
Alternatively: Go through fast/Quick work
30. Race against time
Meaning: Trying to finish before time runs out
For Example: We were in a race against time to catch the bus./It felt like a race against time to finish the test.
Alternatively: Hurry/Finish fast
31. Zoom by
Meaning: Pass by very quickly
For Example: The car zoomed by./Summer vacation zoomed by.
Alternatively: Went fast/Rushed past
32. Quick fix
Meaning: A fast and simple solution
For Example: That tape is a quick fix for the broken folder./He used a quick fix on the bike.
Alternatively: Easy fix/Fast solution
33. Before you know it
Meaning: Very soon
For Example: We’ll be there before you know it./The weekend will be over before you know it.
Alternatively: Soon/Quickly
34. Dash off
Meaning: Leave quickly
For Example: He dashed off after lunch./She dashed off to soccer practice.
Alternatively: Run/Leave fast
35. Quicker than you can say “Jack Robinson”
Meaning: Extremely fast
For Example: He was gone quicker than you can say “Jack Robinson.”/The bird flew away quicker than you can say “Jack Robinson.”
Alternatively: Very fast/Super quick
36. Whirlwind pace
Meaning: Very fast pace
For Example: The day moved at a whirlwind pace./She worked at a whirlwind pace.
Alternatively: Fast-moving/Non-stop
37. Lightning-fast
Meaning: As fast as lightning
For Example: His moves were lightning-fast./The change was lightning-fast.
Alternatively: Super quick/Rapid
38. Hurry up
Meaning: Do something faster
For Example: Hurry up or we’ll miss the bus./The teacher told us to hurry up.
Alternatively: Move faster/Be quick
39. In two shakes of a lamb’s tail
Meaning: Very quickly
For Example: I’ll be done in two shakes of a lamb’s tail./She got ready in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.
Alternatively: Soon/Very fast
40. Flash by
Meaning: Pass quickly
For Example: The summer flashed by./The train flashed by the station.
Alternatively: Move fast/Go by quickly
True/False Quiz: Idioms for Quick
- If someone does something “in a blink of an eye,” it means they did it very slowly.
True/False - “Like greased lightning” means something or someone is super fast.
True/False - Saying “snap to it” means take your time and relax.
True/False - “In a heartbeat” means you’ll wait a long time before doing something.
True/False - If a car “zooms by,” it’s moving quickly.
True/False - “Breakneck speed” means something is going really slowly.
True/False - If someone is “quick on the draw,” they think and act fast.
True/False - Saying “get a move on” means to slow down.
True/False - “Flash by” means something happened fast and is already over.
True/False - If someone finishes something “in no time,” they took all day to do it.
True/False
Answer Key
- False
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
Scoring Guide
- 10 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 7–9 Correct Answers: You really get Idioms nice work!
- 4–6 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about Idioms together!
Conclusion
When people want to talk about doing something fast, they often use idioms. These phrases help make speech and writing more fun. You’ve now learned 40 idioms that show how quick someone or something can be.
By using these idioms, you can sound more natural and express ideas better. Keep reading and practicing them. Before long, you’ll be using them in a snap.
