n. A very short time; an instant; a moment; – now used only in the phrase in a trice.
v. To pull; to haul; to drag; to pull away.
v. To haul and tie up by means of a rope.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
v. To pull; to haul; to drag; to pull away.
v. To haul and tie up by means of a rope.
n. A very short time; an instant; a moment; -- now used only in the phrase in a trice.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A roller; a windlass.
Nautical, to haul up; tie up or lash by means of a small rope: commonly with up.
To drag; pull.
n. A very short time; an instant; a moment: only in the phrase in (formerly also at, with, or on) a trice.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
v. raise with a line
n. a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
v. hoist up or in and lash or secure with a small rope
Word Usage
"This would bear more scrutiny had France not deployed plenty of clichés already; yet her characters keep songs in their hearts, or sob with all of them, while the use of "in a trice" is an incentive to close the book faster than whatever measure of time a trice signifies."