swift

(as) swift as an arrow

Incredibly swiftly or speedily. The karate expert had the would-be mugger unconscious on the ground as swift as an arrow. Swift as an arrow, Mary finished her exam and raced out of the classroom. The shopped ran through mall swift as arrows in search of great deals.
See also: arrow, swift

(as) swift as lightning

Incredibly swiftly or speedily. The karate expert had the would-be mugger unconscious on the ground as swift as lightning. Swift as lightning, Mary finished her exam and raced out of the classroom. The shopped ran through the mall swift as lightning in search of great deals.
See also: lightning, swift

(as) swift as the wind

Incredibly swiftly or speedily. The karate expert had the would-be mugger unconscious on the ground as swift as the wind. Swift as the wind, Mary finished her exam and raced out of the classroom. The shopped ran through the mall swift as the wind in search of great deals.
See also: swift, wind

(as) swift as thought

Incredibly swiftly or speedily. A talented orator, the congressional candidate could speak as swift as thought itself. You must be swift as thought if you wish to make it there on time!
See also: swift, thought

be swift to hear, slow to speak

proverb Listen attentively and don't rush to speak. The phrase comes from the Bible. A: "It would really serve him well to be swift to hear, slow to speak." B: "I know, his mouth always seems to get him into trouble."
See also: slow, speak, swift

life is short(, and time is swift)

proverb Our time in this life is very limited, so we should strive to enjoy it as much as we can. I know you think skydiving is reckless, but life is short, and it's something I've always wanted to do. If we did everything the doctors said, we'd do nothing but eat vegetables and exercise all day, every day—life is short and time is swift.
See also: and, life, time

swift and sure

Fast, direct, and indisputable. The legislation provides consumers with a swift and sure method of protecting their privacy and personal data. The judge's decision in the case was swift and sure.
See also: and, sure, swift
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Life is short and time is swift.

Prov. You should enjoy life as much as possible, because it does not last very long. Jill: Want to go to the movies with me? Jane: Oh, I don't know; I should probably stay at work and finish a few things. Jill: Come on, Jane, life is short and time is swift.
See also: and, life, short, swift, time

*quick as a wink

 and *quick as a flash; *quick as (greased) lightning; *swift as lightning
very quickly. (*Also: as ~.) As quick as a wink, the thief took the lady's purse. I'll finish this work quick as a flash. Quick as greased lightning, the thief stole my wallet.
See also: quick, wink

swift and sure

fast and certain. (As with the flight of a well-aimed arrow.) The response of the governor to the criticism by the opposing party was swift and sure. The boxer's punch was swift and sure and resulted in a quick knockout and a very short match.
See also: and, sure, swift

*swift as an arrow

 and *swift as the wind; *swift as thought
very fast. (*Also: as ~.) The new intercity train is swift as an arrow. You won't have to wait for me long; I'll be there, swift as thought.
See also: arrow, swift
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

quick as a wink

Also, quick as a bunny or a flash . Very speedily, as in He was out of here quick as a wink, or She answered, quick as a bunny. These similes have largely replaced the earlier quick as lightning, although quick as a flash no doubt alludes to it (also see like greased lightning), and quick as thought, now obsolete. The bunny variant dates from the mid-1800s, the others from the late 1800s.
See also: quick, wink
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

swift

1. mod. smart and clever. Excuse my brother. He’s not too swift.
2. mod. sexually fast or easy, usually said of a woman. Britney is swift, they say, but I find her to be a perfect lady.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • (as) swift as an arrow
  • swift as an arrow
  • (as) swift as lightning
  • (as) swift as the wind
  • (as) swift as thought
  • Swiftie
  • Swifties
  • an
  • quicker
  • quicker than hell
References in periodicals archive
1) "I Forgot That You Existed" (written by Swift, Louis Bell, Adam Feeney)
Taylor Swift's 'Lover': A track-by-track breakdown, from coded lyrics to Leonardo DiCaprio references
Onur Ozan, head of Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, SWIFT, said: "On behalf of SWIFT, I would like to congratulate the National Bank of Bahrain on being the first bank in the country to be certified for and go live on SWIFT gpi.
NBB first Bahraini bank to get SWIFT gpi certification
At the height of the drama between Swift and Kanye West, Bieber struckA back.
Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber Already Frenemies Long Before Scooter Braun Incident
We're delighted to earn this label, which signals to our customers that our European payment processing solution meets SWIFT's criteria for compatibility and interoperability with SWIFT's FIN messaging service."
Finastra - Finastra achieves SWIFT Certified Application label 2019 for payments solution -- 8/7/2019
In the first verse, Swift said that she's ready for battle and fight for a relationship, "Combat, I'm ready for combat, I say I don't want that/But what if I do?
Taylor Swift releases new song 'The Archer'
He hopes swift bricks built into the new Ysgol Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley will have similar success.
Could 'swift Halfs, swSwift Champs' save wift bricks and 'mysterious' birds? JULIAN HUGHES DISCOVERS THE EFFORTS BEING MADE BY ONE INNOVATIVE WILDLIFE OFFICER TO PROTECT THE UNUSUAL HABITATS OF NORTH WALES'SWIFT POPULATION
Swift jokingly referred to their reunion on Twitter as "a happy meal".
Taylor and Katy make a meal of their truce
Perry sent an olive branch and letter to Swift during the opening night of the 'Reputation' concert tour in Arizona.
LOOK: Taylor Swift, Katy Perry declare 'peace' through cookies
It operates through six segments: Knight Trucking, Knight Logistics, Swift Truckload, Swift Dedicated, Swift Refrigerated and Swift Intermodal.
Knight-Swift Transportation declares settlement of litigation with Swift Transportation Co of Arizona LLC
Alex Lee's president ultimately informed Swift Beef's representative that "it will be best" for both parties to terminate the lease.
Injunction preventing eviction dissolved
Soon, Ackermann, a gay man with long-suppressed desires, asks the fulsome Swift to accompany him to literary events around the world.
A LADDER TO THE SKY
(NASDAQ: INTL) has announced that it has acquired the SWIFT Service Bureau from PayCommerce to expand the capabilities of its Global Payments Division, the company said.
INTL FCStone expands global payments division with acquisition of SWIFT Service Bureau
29 -- Acer has launched the Swift 5 (SF515-51T) notebook claiming that it is the world's lightest notebook PC with a 15-inch display weighing less than one kilogram (990 g).
Acer launches Swift 5, world's lightest 15-inch laptop
It's important, though, that we play our part as a local community to help these much-loved birds, and I'm so proud that Alsager Town Council has agreed to the installation of swift boxes right here in our town centre.
Alsager is 'swift friendly'; Tree special nesting boxes were donated as a joint project between Alsager Urban Wildlife Initiative, Councillor Jane Smith (Alsager Town Council) and the town's Sustainability Group
New Delhi: Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday introduced auto gear shift (AGS) option in top-end variants of its premium hatchback Swift.
Maruti Swift top trims get AGS option starting at Rs 7.76 lakh