greased lightning
geölter Blitz, wie der geölte Blitz
Something incredibly fastSomething incredibly fast (now mainly used in comparison: like or faster than greased lightning).
Meaning
1 senses(uncountable)Something incredibly fast (now mainly used in comparison: like or faster than greased lightning).
geölter Blitz, wie der geölte Blitz
Translations
2 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 1
Something incredibly fast:
Origin
Believed to come from the observation that greased machinery tends to run faster, and theBelieved to come from the observation that greased machinery tends to run faster, and the notion that if a lightning strike (the fastest normally observed movement) could be greased, it might move even faster. Originally US usage, but soon well known in UK due to Thackeray's use in 1848 (see cite).
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Lessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable