Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "lickety split?"

Dear sasa11: I am quite sure it is one of those expressive colloquialisms that spread rapidly and persist for quite a while, with no clue as to where, when, or who started it. Welcome to the board.

Welcome, sasa11. I googled lickety split and found these two illustrative sites:

http://www.takeourword.com/Issue107.html

http://www.wordwizard.com/clubhouse/founddiscuss.asp?Num=785

Seems both lick and spit have or had speed connotations. Wonder if we could fit "drool" into that speed category?

Brandon

and the full-speed sense of lick(ety) was used in all sorts of fanciful combinations, most of haven't lasted: lickety-cut, -smash, -wallop, -click, -switch, etc.

and the full-speed sense of lick(ety) was used in all sorts of fanciful combinations, most of which haven't lasted: lickety-cut, -smash, -wallop, -click, -switch, etc.

a split-second is a very short second...or a time period that goes by incredibly quickly. Split seems to have the same meaning here as in lickety-split.

Hey everybody! I'm finally a newbie!!

> lickety-click...
reminds me of:

Clickety-clack, don't talk back!

> Hey everybody! I'm finally a newbie!!
Congrats Marine-Squirt, on your completion of 25 doses of capricious piffle and epithets alike!

Thanks for the lickety split answers everyone...