“Lickety” is an old-fashioned, informal word that usually shows up in phrases like “lickety-split”, meaning very fast or in a hurry.
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“Lickety-split” → as quickly as possible
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“Lickety-cut” or “lickety-click” (less common) → also meant “fast” in older usage
The word itself doesn’t have a standalone meaning—it’s mainly part of playful, rhythmic expressions in American English from the 19th century.
Origins
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First recorded in the 19th century (early 1800s, U.S.).
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It’s thought to be imitative / playful, part of a trend in English of making rhyming or rhythmical nonsense words (like higgledy-piggledy, helter-skelter).
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The “lick” part may come from the older slang “at a good lick,” meaning “at a fast pace.”
Common expressions with lickety
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Lickety-split (most common) → extremely fast, right away.
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“She ran lickety-split down the road.”
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Lickety-cut (19th century, rare now) → also very fast.
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Lickety-brindle (dialect, rare) → meant in a rush / hastily.
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At a lickety pace → moving quickly.
Tone / Register
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It’s colloquial, playful, a bit old-fashioned.
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You’d find it in children’s books, cowboy tales, or someone trying to sound “folksy.”
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Rarely used in serious writing today, but it pops up in nostalgic or humorous contexts.
👉 So in short: “lickety” is an intensifier that makes “fast” sound even more vivid, usually tied to speed, urgency, or suddenness.