trice

On 15 July 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 probe sent back grainy images of Mars, revealing a forbidding surface that destroyed florid Victorian speculation in a trice.

From Nature ● Jan. 7, 2019

We’d hired someone to help us sort through our belongings—keep it, sell it, give it away—Patty could get rid of anything in a trice.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2018

He was maybe three feet from the net, but somehow, in a trice, managed to extend his left arm sideways and tilt his racquet head down toward his thighs.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 30, 2016

You saw the dancer, and then in a trice you heard the music; but seven years ago this aspect of Balanchine dancing had virtually slipped away.

From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2015

She stared down at him, first impassively, then, in a trice, her blue eyes filled with tears.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Its name, on a life-buoy triced to the rusty netting between the rails, was the Olive Branch, but its port of registry had been painted out.

From The White Blackbird by Hudson Douglas

An’ so yeou hed a wisit frum Si an’ Ed, did yeou; an’ wall, what d’ye think o’ thet, gents, here’s yer birds all triced up, ready tew be transported to jail.

From The Boy Scouts in the Maine Woods The New Test for the Silver Fox Patrol by Herbert Carter

As the boats approached, the deck of the pirate was seen crowded with men, and boarding nettings triced up.

From How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves Updated to 1900 by William Henry Giles Kingston

Blocks and tackles were then made fast to the end of the fore and main booms, the booms were triced up at an angle to serve as derricks, and the hatch-covers were stripped off.

From A Chinese Command A Story of Adventure in Eastern Seas by Archibald Webb

Now, as quickly, the two boat-tenders rowed back to the Drab, and the boats were triced up in a twinkling.

From The Motor Boat Club and The Wireless Or, the Dot, Dash and Dare Cruise by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

He lowered the foresail, and still further reduced the mainsail by tricing up the tack.

From A Desperate Voyage by Edward Frederick Knight

Moran dragged the hammock back into the cabin, and, returning upon deck, helped Wilbur to cut away the last tricing tackle.

From Moran of the Lady Letty by Frank Norris

The work of tricing him up occupied the beach-combers throughout the entire day.

From Moran of the Lady Letty by Frank Norris

Her crew were tricing up the boarding-netting, dragging round the starboard guns, knocking new portholes for them, and making every preparation for a desperate resistance.

From The Great Shadow and Other Napoleonic Tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When there are fourteen or more men at a gun, the Port-tacklemen and Side-tacklemen, on lower decks, lead out port-tackle falls and assist in tricing up the port, and, when high enough, belay the fall.

From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance