View synonyms for

short and sweet

[shawrt uhn sweet]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

idiom

pleasantly brief and relevant.
We're in a hurry, so make it short and sweet.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of short and sweet¹

First recorded in 1540–50

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Idioms and Phrases

Satisfyingly brief and pertinent, as in When we asked about the coming merger, the chairman's answer was short and sweet—it wasn't going to happen. This expression was already proverbial in 1539, when it appeared in Richard Taverner's translation of Erasmus's Adagia. Over the years it was occasionally amplified, as in James Kelly's Scottish Proverbs (1721): “Better short and sweet than long and lax.”

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Their run was short and sweet, but the pair have teased a potential return at some point in the year.

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"Hi everybody, I'm going to make this short and sweet," Fury said.

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That is why Trump keeps his slogans short and sweet.

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Fury – a showman whose antics at such events have created many headlines over the years – said he would keep it short and sweet and stuck to his words.

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The keeper's involvement was short and sweet but spectacular and probably decisive.

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shortall short ballot

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