greased lightning

Etymology
Believed to come from the observation that greased machinery tends to run faster, and the notion that if a lightning strike (the fastest normally observed movement) could be greased, it might move even faster. Originally US usage, but soon well known in UK due to Thackeray's use in 1848 (see cite).

Noun

 * 1) Something incredibly fast (now mainly used in comparison: like or faster than greased lightning).

Translations

 * Czech: jako namydlený blesk
 * Danish: smurt lyn
 * Finnish: rasvattu salama
 * German: geölter Blitz, wie der geölte Blitz
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: oljet lyn, olja lyn
 * Nynorsk: olja lyn
 * Polish:
 * Swedish: oljad blixt