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3. quick on the draw

quick on the draw

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quick on the draw

able to react quickly to a situation He was quick on the draw answering the reporter's questions.

Usage notes: sometimes said about a person who reacts too quickly to a situation and makes serious mistakes

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of quick on the draw (able to take out and shoot a gun quickly)

See also: draw, on, quick

quick on the draw

Also, quick on the trigger. Rapid in acting or reacting, as in You have to be quick on the draw if you want to find low-rent housing here, or Bruce was quick on the trigger when it came to answering questions. The first expression came from the American West's gunslingers and was broadened to mean "a quick reaction" in the first half of the 1900s. The variant originated about 1800.

See also: draw, on, quick