at the drop of a hat

English

Etymology

From the customary starting of competitions by making a sweeping downward motion with a cap.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

at the drop of a hat

1. (informal, idiomatic) Without any hesitation; instantly.

   Synonyms: at a moment's notice, at once, in a heartbeat

   We're expected to just do it at the drop of a hat.

   If you need help, just call on Mike. He can come at the drop of a hat.

   • 1957, Jack Kerouac, chapter 1, in On the Road, Viking Press, →OCLC, part 1:

     A tremendous thing happened when Dean met Carlo Marx. Two keen minds that they are, they took to each other at the drop of a hat.

   • 2014, Becky Rutledge, Miss Becky's Charm School‎^[1], Citadel Press, →ISBN:

     Let's face it. We are swollen up like an overfed slug, our breath stinks, the tiniest irritant is magnified ten thousand times, and we cry at the drop of a hat.

Translations

instantly, without hesitation

• Arabic:

  North Levantine Arabic: بغمضة عين

• Basque: begien itxi-irekian, begien itxi-ireki batean
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: hetkessä, käden käänteessä, tuosta vain, alta aikayksikön (fi), epäröimättä
• French: en un claquement de doigts
• German: von einem Tag auf den anderen, von heute auf morgen (de)
• Greek: στο πι και φι (el) (sto pi kai fi)
• Italian: in un batter d'occhio (it), in un battito d'ali, in men che non si dica
• Polish: na zawołanie, w każdej chwili, w mgnieniu oka (pl)
• Portuguese: em um piscar de olhos, com um estalar de dedos, num abrir e fechar de olhos
• Russian: ми́гом (ru) (mígom), в мгнове́ние о́ка (ru) (v mgnovénije óka), ту́т же (tút že), за́просто (ru) (záprosto) (without hesitation)
• Spanish: en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, de buenas a primeras (es), a las primeras de cambio, de inmediato (es), al instante