![]() Tip: Know Your Phrase has the meaning of hundreds of sayings, but how do you find them all? That’s easy! Use the search bar below (if on mobile), or scroll to the top and use the menu. I’ll be ready to go lickety-split, I just have to throw on my coat.What happened? The match was over in the blink of an eye.When my teacher explains things in class, sometimes he talks as quick as greased lightning and I have trouble following what he says.My roommate can type on his computer at blazing speeds his fingers move across the keyboard as fast as greased lightning.“He spoke as quick as ‘greased lightning.’ “ For example, the expression is used in an English newspaper called The Boston, Lincoln, Louth & Spalding Herald, January, 1833: The earliest I could find it in print is in the 1830s. Now let’s talk about how old this phrase is. ![]() So the idea here is that grease is being figuratively applied to lightning in order to make it go even faster! Okay, so lightning is fast, but what does grease have to do with that? Well, lubricants like oil and grease are used to make machinery run smoother and faster. While that speed is impressive, some people think that lightning travels at the same speed as light, but that isn’t true. According to The Measure of Things, a lightning bolt can travel around 217,000 mph (349,000 kph). What’s the idea behind the idiom “greased lightning”? Well, lightning has a reputation for being fast.
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