once over lightly

[wuhns-oh-ver-lahyt-lee]

once-o·ver-light·ly

[wuhns-oh-ver-lahyt-lee]
noun Informal.
a hasty or superficial treatment, look, examination, etc.; once-over: The maid gave the room the once-over-lightly.

Origin:
1940–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Once over lightly is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Slang Dictionary

once over lightly definition


  1. mod.
    quickly and superficially; carelessly; cursorily. (This is hyphenated before a nominal.) : He looked at it once over lightly and agreed to do it.
  2. n.
    a perfunctory examination; a quick glance. : Once over lightly is not enough.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

once over lightly

Cursorily, quickly, as in I did go over the program once over lightly, but perhaps I should read it more carefully. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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