Robinson

before (one) can say Jack Robinson

Very quickly or suddenly. (The true identity of Jack Robinson is unknown.) I'm not far from your house, so I'll be there before you can say Jack Robinson. Before I could say Jack Robinson, Tom had leapt to his feet and rushed out of the room.
See also: before, can, jack, Robinson, say

faster than you can say Jack Robinson

Extremely quickly; almost immediately; suddenly or in a very short space of time. Once I'm finished with high school, I'll be outta this two-bit town faster than you can say Jack Robinson! I was out fishing one day when, faster than you can say Jack Robinson, a 20-pound trout jumped out of the water and right into my lap!
See also: can, faster, jack, Robinson, say

Heath Robinson

Describing an unnecessarily complicated machine used for a simple task. Similar to "Rube Goldberg." Heath Robinson was an English illustrator known for drawing such contraptions. Primarily heard in UK. I just love these silly Heath Robinson contraptions—it takes imagination to design something so complicated!
See also: Robinson

quicker than you can say Jack Robinson

Extremely quickly; almost immediately; suddenly or in a very short space of time. Once I'm finished with high school, I'll be outta this two-bit town quicker than you can say Jack Robinson! I was out fishing one day when, quicker than you can say Jack Robinson, a 20-pound trout jumped out of the water and right into my lap!
See also: can, jack, quicker, Robinson, say
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

before you can say Jack Robinson

 and quicker than you can say Jack Robinson
Fig. almost immediately. (Often found in children's stories.) And before you could say Jack Robinson, the bird flew away. I'll catch a plane and be there quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.
See also: before, can, jack, Robinson, say
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

before you can say Jack Robinson

Also, quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. Almost immediately, very soon, as in I'll finish this book before you can say Jack Robinson. This expression originated in the 1700s, but the identity of Jack Robinson has been lost. Grose's Classical Dictionary (1785) said he was a man who paid such brief visits to acquaintances that there was scarcely time to announce his arrival before he had departed, but it gives no further documentation. A newer version is before you know it, meaning so soon that you don't have time to become aware of it (as in He'll be gone before you know it).
See also: before, can, jack, Robinson, say
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

before you could say Jack Robinson

OLD-FASHIONED
COMMON If you say that something happened before you could say Jack Robinson, you mean it happened very suddenly and quickly. The pair of them were out of the door and down the steps before you could say Jack Robinson. Note: People sometimes change Jack Robinson to a word or expression that relates to the subject they are talking about. She was on the phone to New York before you could say long-distance. Note: The identity of Jack Robinson is unknown and the name might have become popular because both elements were once extremely common. The phrase appears in the novel `Evelina' (1778) by Fanny Burney: `I'll do it as soon as say Jack Robinson'.
See also: before, could, jack, Robinson, say
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

before you can say Jack Robinson

very quickly or suddenly. informal
This expression was in use in the late 18th century, but neither an early 19th-century popular song about Jack Robinson nor some mid 19th-century attempts to identify the eponymous Jack Robinson shed any light on its origins.
See also: before, can, jack, Robinson, say
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

before you can say Jack ˈRobinson

(old-fashioned) very quickly or suddenly: I’ll do that for you. I’ll have it finished before you can say Jack Robinson.
See also: before, can, jack, Robinson, say
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

before you can say Jack Robinson

At once, instantly. No one seems to be able to trace this term precisely or to discover the identity of Jack Robinson. Its earliest documented use was in 1778 in Fanny Burney’s Evelina (“I’d do it as soon as say Jack Robinson”). It appears in Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. According to Francis Grose’s Classical Dictionary (1785), the original Jack Robinson was a gentleman who called on his neighbors so peremptorily that there was hardly time to announce him before he was gone.
See also: before, can, jack, Robinson, say
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • before (one) can say Jack Robinson
  • before you can say Jack Robinson
  • before you could say Jack Robinson
  • jill off
  • jack all
  • jill it
  • Jack Tar
  • trade
  • decide between
  • decide between (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
Robinson recalled that the scene in which the Joker threw the Rachel Dawes character (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) out a window was first shot in Chicago and then finished in London -- where Batman (played by Christian Bale) saves Rachel before she hits the ground.
Cartoonist Who Created The Joker Discusses 'The Dark Knight'
Adds Delia Britton, president and CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation: "We are thrilled to begin our yearlong celebration with this showcase of photographic treasures that depict Jackie Robinson's life and career in New York, and the...
BASEBALLS "EXHIBIT A" IN COURAGE
"Frank Robinson's resume in our game is without parallel, a trailblazer in every sense, whose impact spanned generations," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
'Frank Robinson's resume in our game is without parallel': Baseball legend dies
At one stage Robinson charges the gang before being forced to the floor and kicked.
EDL founder Tommy Robinson releases full footage of shocking brawl with masked men outside McDonald's; The EDL founder, his cameraman and his camerawoman say they were all attacked by men covering their faces
By then, Robinson had endured a year of fans' racial taunts, being baited by change-resistant sportswriters and receiving the cold treatment from fellow players, all the while fine-tuning his game with Brooklyn's Montreal affiliate in 1946.
The quiet dignity of Jackie Robinson: Brooklyn star's 1947 debut, years before the Civil Rights Movement took root, pioneered social change
Robinson holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Clemson University and two masters and a PhD in medieval studies from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Feature Documentary on the Wild West's Most Beloved Figure, Doc Holliday, Released
When reports reach England that a vast treasure trove has been found on Robinson Island, Ernest and his family find themselves in mortal danger when Captain Charlie vows to retrieve the treasure for himself and wreak revenge on the entire Robinson family.
Return to Robinson Island
Lelchuk grew up in Brooklyn, the son of immigrants in the post-WWII era, and had a firsthand view of Jackie Robinson's rise as a baseball player, a public icon, and a voice for equality.
Breaking Ground; How Jackie Robinson Changed Brooklyn
ROBINSON KIMBERLEY Happy mothers day mammy love you to the moon and back from your little man Finley xxx ROBINSON LAURA Happy mothers day mammy.
RANSOME NICHOLA
Robinson's writing is candid and unapologetic--he does not hesitate to sharply criticize politicians he once praised, nor does he waiver in forgiving public figures who took strides toward integration.
Michael long, ed. beyond Home Plate: Jackie Robinson on life after baseball. syracuse: syracuse university press, 2013
He was born in Harvard, son of Charles and Orilda (Stebbins) Robinson, and lived in Lancaster most of his life.
George Robinson Sr
DeFazio said in a statement that Robinson "represents extremist tea party views."
Robinson to challenge DeFazio
Robinson is seen with EDL deputy leader Kevin Carroll alongside Majid Nawaz, a man who used to belong to fundamentalist hate group, Hizb ut-Tahrir.
EDL Leader Tommy Robinson with Former Islamist Majid Nawaz (FIRST PHOTO)
Beyond Home Plate: Jackie Robinson on Life After Baseball.
Michael Long, ed. Beyond Home Plate: Jackie Robinson on life after baseball. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2013
Sports fans would have recognized the muscular young man in khaki as UCLA football, baseball, and basketball star Jackie Robinson. In just a few years this black Southern Californian would break the color barrier in all-white Major League Baseball, donning the now-iconic Brooklyn Dodgers uniform with the blue 42 on the back.
An early Rosa Parks