Definition of: "lightning fast" with explanation and origin

Definition of: lightning fast with explanation and origin? Meaning of lightning fast with examples in English idiom dictionary.

English	English

Definition of: "lightning fast" with explanation and origin

lightning fast

lightning fast,
also, lightning quick

Meaning

• extremely quick
• something that is or moves very fast
• to describe something that has a rapid speed
• something that happens at lightning speed 

Example Sentences

1. At recess, the boys and girls run lightning fast.
2. This weekend I have an upcoming race and I will run lightning-fast to win the race.
3. Items at the store are selling off the shelves lightning fast due to being on sale.
4. The rain poured down lightning-fast.
5. Once the hot cookies were out of the stove, the family ate them lightning fast.
6. Before the police could arrive, the robbers had robbed the bank lightning fast.
7. She’s not just famed for her writing brilliance but also for her lightning-quick typing skills.

Origin

This idiom traces back to the early 17th century. The etymology of this idiom can be found in text written as early as 1676. This common phrase gets its name from lightning. Lightning in the sky moves very quickly. Sometimes it moves so fast a person can barely see it. When a person uses this phrase they are describing something that can move fast. 

This centuries-old idiom grew in popularity when people began to discover more about the weather. As electricity was discovered, this idiom grew even more. Now today this idiom is a familiar phrase that is used frequently.

The Origins of lightning fast

English

Related Dictionary

• English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
• English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
• Dictionnaire Français
• Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français

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English Idioms and phrases

An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.

To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).

Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.