before you can say knife

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Phrase

(deprecated template usage) before you can say knife

1. Very quickly; quicker than one expects.

   Synonym: before you can say Jack Robinson

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: ennen kuin ehdit kissaa sanoa
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: en moins de temps qu’il ne faut pour le dire (fr)

Further reading

• “before you can say knife”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “before you can say knife” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.