- Today's Word
Lickety-split
[LIK-i-tee-split]
Definition
- (adverb) To do something very quickly or at full speed. It’s used to describe an action done with great haste or something happening in an extremely short time.
Example
When the boss announced free pizza in the break room, the employees ran lickety-split to grab a slice before it was all gone.
Fun Fact
The origin of “lickety-split” is somewhat unclear, but it’s believed to have originated in 19th-century America. The term first appeared in print around the 1840s. The “lickety” part might be related to “lick,” as in to travel at a lick, or to go fast. Some linguists suggest it could be an alteration of “licketie,” meaning “in a minute.” The “split” portion emphasizes the speed, perhaps alluding to splitting the air or covering a split second. This colorful phrase is part of a tradition of reduplicated or rhyming phrases in English (like helter-skelter or hurly-burly) that add emphasis through sound. Its enduring usage demonstrates the American penchant for vivid, playful language to describe everyday concepts.
(verb) To suggest or assume something as a basis for reasoning or argument without prior proof.
The scientist postulated that the mysterious signals were coming from a previously undiscovered layer of the atmosphere, a theory that took years to confirm.
Postulate derives from the Latin postulare, meaning “to demand” or “to claim,” rooted in poscere, meaning “to ask urgently.” In medieval logic and mathematics, a postulate was a foundational assumption that didn’t require proof — something demanded to be accepted as a starting point. Euclid’s famous geometric postulates, written around 300 BCE, are among the most influential examples in intellectual history.