Meanings
- Very quickly; quicker than one expects.
'Oh, we'll pull you off before you can say knife. Take care of His Excellency. I shall try to get a little sleep now.'
1893, Rudyard Kipling, “Judson and the Empire”, in Many Inventions1 more example
‘Ginger, Ginger, before you can say knife she'll make you into a damned missionary.’ I don't know that I'd mind that so much if we had a little mission of our own.
1926, W. Somerset Maugham, “The Letter”, in More Far Eastern Tales, Random House, published 2010, →ISBNSynonyms: before you can say Jack Robinson
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseVery quickly; quicker than one expects.
Translations
Finnish ennen kuin ehdit kissaa sanoa
- ennen kuin ehdit kissaa sanoaTranslations
French en moins de temps qu'il ne faut pour le dire
- en moins de temps qu'il ne faut pour le direTranslations
German ehe man sichs versieht
- ehe man sichs versiehtTranslations
Romanian cât ai zice pește
- cât ai zice peșteTranslations
Russian "ма́ма" сказа́ть не успе́ешь
- "ма́ма" сказа́ть не успе́ешь ("máma" skazátʹ ne uspéješʹ)Translations
Scottish Gaelic mun canadh tu deis-dè
- mun canadh tu deis-dèTranslations
Spanish en menos de lo que canta un gallo
- en menos de lo que canta un galloTranslations
Swedish innan man vet ordet av
- innan man vet ordet avTranslations
Cite this entry
before you can say knife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/before%20you%20can%20say%20knife
“before you can say knife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/before%20you%20can%20say%20knife. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “before you can say knife,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/before%20you%20can%20say%20knife.
Source: before you can say knife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.