Phrase guide

lick and a promise

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A quick, not-very-thorough wash.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • My grandparents called me only an hour before they decided to come visit, so I had to give the dirty living room a lick and a promise.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The hasty or incomplete performance of a task, done with the intention ("a promise") of thorough completion later.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: Katzenwäsche — a quick, not-very-thorough wash
  • Portuguese: banho de gato — a quick, not-very-thorough wash
  • Portuguese: banho de puta — a quick, not-very-thorough wash
  • Spanish: aseo de gato — a quick, not-very-thorough wash
  • Spanish: baño de gato — a quick, not-very-thorough wash
  • Finnish: hutaisu — hasty completion of a task
  • German: halbherziger Versuch — hasty completion of a task
  • German: schöne Schein — hasty completion of a task
  • Portuguese: feito nas coxas — hasty completion of a task
  • Russian: халту́ра (xaltúra) — hasty completion of a task
  • Russian: тяп-ляп (tjap-ljap) — hasty completion of a task