Home › Glossary › Letter I

In a trice

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

In an exceedingly brief moment, almost instantaneously; derived from an archaic term for a single pull of a thread, it emphasizes speed so rapid that the action feels immediate, often used to describe sudden reactions or swift completions.

Detailed Definition
"In a trice" denotes an instantaneous, extremely brief interval of time, conveying speed and suddenness that poets use to accelerate narrative momentum, create surprise, or emphasize the fleeting nature of moments. Deriving from an archaic term for a single pull or an instant (possibly related to "trice" meaning to hoist quickly), its linguistic antiquity lends a quaint, spirited quality to modern verses. In dramatic and narrative poetry, a character may act "in a trice," transforming the plot with a swift decision, a rapid escape, or a sudden change of heart. Its rhythmic lightness (two syllables, iambic) suits fast-paced meters such as anapestic dimeter, mimicking the heartbeat-like quickness it describes. Poets may contrast "in a trice" with prolonged durations to highlight the capriciousness of time or the intensity of a moment that feels both instantaneous and eternal—a common effect in love poetry or epiphanies. Its spatial suggestion of pulling or snapping also invites metaphors of tension released or bonds severed, deepening its significance beyond mere temporal measurement.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The young poet discovered her unique voice in a trice, after a single mentor's comment about her most authentic line."; "In a trice, the entire meaning of the cryptic poem shifted when the reader recognized its mythological source."; "The poet revised the opening stanza in a trice, cutting three lines and finding the perfect, arresting first image."; "In a trice, the writer's block vanished, replaced by a flood of memories that became the foundation of her next collection."; "The audience's initial confusion gave way to understanding in a trice, once the final couplet reframed everything that had come before."
Additional Notes
"In a trice" is an invaluable pacing tool in poetry, compressing time to create surprise, urgency, or the sudden clarity of an epiphany. Unlike its synonym "in a flash," which emphasizes visual brightness, "in a trice" carries a slightly archaic, literary flavor that suits formal verse and ballads. Usage tip: Deploy this phrase to pivot narrative momentum, such as a sudden reversal of fortune, a swift escape, or an instant of transformative insight. For students, practice writing a poem that begins with slow, detailed description and then uses "in a trice" to shift to rapid action, demonstrating contrast in pacing. Cross-reference with "sudden" and "instantly" to explore gradations of speed in poetic time.
Also Known As
instantly immediately in an instant in a flash in no time in a moment swiftly
Skip to main content