From the customary starting of competitions by making a sweeping downward motion with a cap.
Prepositional phrase
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at the drop of a hat
- (informal, idiomatic) Without any hesitation; instantly.
- Synonyms: at a moment's notice, at once, in a heartbeat
We're expected to just do it at the drop of a hat.
If you need help, just call on Mike. He can come at the drop of a hat.
1957, Jack Kerouac, chapter 1, in On the Road, Viking Press, →OCLC, part 1:A tremendous thing happened when Dean met Carlo Marx. Two keen minds that they are, they took to each other at the drop of a hat.
2014, Becky Rutledge, Miss Becky's Charm School[1], Citadel Press, →ISBN:Let's face it. We are swollen up like an overfed slug, our breath stinks, the tiniest irritant is magnified ten thousand times, and we cry at the drop of a hat.
instantly, without hesitation
- Arabic:
- North Levantine Arabic: بغمضة عين
- Basque: begien itxi-irekian, begien itxi-ireki batean
- Danish: please add this translation if you can
- Finnish: hetkessä, käden käänteessä, tuosta vain, alta aikayksikön (fi), epäröimättä
- French: en un claquement de doigts
- German: von einem Tag auf den anderen, von heute auf morgen (de)
- Greek: στο πι και φι (el) (sto pi kai fi)
- Italian: in un batter d'occhio, in un battito d'ali, in men che non si dica
- Polish: na zawołanie, w każdej chwili, w mgnieniu oka (pl)
- Portuguese: em um piscar de olhos, com um estalar de dedos, num abrir e fechar de olhos
- Russian: ми́гом (ru) (mígom), в мгнове́ние о́ка (ru) (v mgnovénije óka), ту́т же (tút že), за́просто (ru) (záprosto) (without hesitation)
- Spanish: en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, de buenas a primeras (es), a las primeras de cambio, de inmediato (es), al instante
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