in a flash

Idioms and Phrases

Also, in a jiffy or second or trice . Quickly, immediately. For example, I'll be with you in a flash , or He said he'd be done in a jiffy , or I'll be off the phone in a second , or I felt a drop or two, and in a trice there was a downpour . The first idiom alludes to a flash of lightning and dates from about 1800. The word jiffy , meaning “a short time,” is of uncertain origin and dates from the late 1700s (as does the idiom using it); a second , literally one-sixtieth of a minute, has been used vaguely to mean “a very short time” since the early 1800s; and trice originally meant “a single pull at something” and has been used figuratively since the 1500s.

Example Sentences

There is a growing backlash in some neighborhoods, with residents demanding authorities do more to crack down on the illegal gatherings that can turn deadly in a flash.

From Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles police said the victims were homeless people caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout, and that two suspects had already been arrested for allegedly participating in a flash mob-style robbery.

From Los Angeles Times

Ken interjects in a flash, to chortles around the table.

From BBC

The two adult suspects, identified by police as Amaya McDonald, 19, and Joshua Jones, 22, were already in custody on charges they participated in a flash mob-style robbery of the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in which more than $90,000 worth of merchandise was taken.

From Los Angeles Times

“On Sept 26, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force responded to the Northeast Area where a parent had brought their juvenile child in, who was involved in a flash robbery. The child was booked for robbery,” Chow said during the meeting.

From Los Angeles Times