before you can say knife

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Phrase

before you can say knife

1. Very quickly; quicker than one expects.

   Synonym: before you can say Jack Robinson

   • 1893, Rudyard Kipling, “Judson and the Empire”, in Many Inventions‎^[1]:

     'Oh, we'll pull you off before you can say knife. Take care of His Excellency. I shall try to get a little sleep now.'

   • 1926, W. Somerset Maugham, “The Letter”, in More Far Eastern Tales, Random House, published 2010, →ISBN:

     ‘Ginger, Ginger, before you can say knife she'll make you into a damned missionary.’ I don't know that I'd mind that so much if we had a little mission of our own.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: ennen kuin ehdit kissaa sanoa
• French: en moins de temps qu’il ne faut pour le dire (fr)
• German: ehe man sichs versieht
• Romanian: cât ai zice pește
• Russian: "ма́ма" сказа́ть не успе́ешь ("máma" skazátʹ ne uspéješʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: mun canadh tu deis-dè
• Spanish: en menos de lo que canta un gallo
• Swedish: innan man vet ordet av (sv)

Further reading

• “before you can say knife”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “before you can say knife” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.