- 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.
(noun) Excessive confidence or boldness; rashness in the face of danger or opposition without regard for consequences.
The junior analyst had the temerity to challenge the CEO’s projections in front of the entire board — and was proven right six months later.
Temerity derives from the Latin temeritas, meaning “rashness” or “blind chance,” rooted in temere — “rashly” or “by chance” — suggesting action taken without looking, in the dark, without regard for what might be coming. It entered English in the 15th century carrying its full Latin sense of dangerous, heedless boldness — the kind that mistakes the absence of fear for the presence of wisdom.