in the twinkling of an eye

English

Etymology

From Middle English in the twynklyng of an iȝe, in þe twynklynk of an eiȝe, from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:52: We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

Pronunciation

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Prepositional phrase

in the twinkling of an eye

1. (idiomatic) Immediately; instantaneously.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     Father, come, ile take my leaue of the Iew in the twinkling of an eye.

   • 2007 April 28, Hugh Muir, The Guardian:

     All my dreams for him have been cut short in the twinkling of an eye. Why was my son murdered?

Synonyms

• in the wink of an eye, in the blink of an eye

Translations

immediately, instantaneously — see in the blink of an eye