in the wink of an eye

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adverb

in the wink of an eye (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) instantaneously, extremely quickly
   • 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, chapter 23, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC:

     "The Silver Shoes," said the Good Witch, "have wonderful powers. And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go."

Synonyms

• in the blink of an eye
• in the twinkling of an eye

Translations

in the blink of an eye — see in the blink of an eye