英和和英

語源

Somewhat disputed. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests either the verb or noun lick “stroke with the tongue”, with -ety, a suffix used to extend monosyllabic words. Merriam-Webster supports OED, deriving lickety-split from the same senses of lick. Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary, in contrast, suggests it is a variant of the noun lick “sprint; rate of speed”. Some writers suggest that lickety-split may be onomatopoeic – compare clickety, clicketty-clack – but they note this as personal opinion. The word is attested, with variable spelling, from the 19th century; see quotations below and at Citations:lickety.

発音

• IPA: /ˈlɪkɪti/

副詞

lickety

1. (US, informal, usually compounded with a noun) At full speed, fast.

   lickety-cut

   lickety-split

   • 1843, John S. Robb, Streaks of Squatter of Life, and Far-west Scenes‎, page 116:

     Away they started, “lickety-click,” and arrived at the winning-post within touching distance of each other.

   • 1886, Bret Harte, “Chiquita”, in Abraham Firth, editor, Voices for the Speechless, page 95:

     Lickity, lickity, switch, we came to the ford, and Chiquita / Buckled right down to her work

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:lickety.

参照