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Phrase(s): a lick and a promise
*a lick and a promise Fig. a hasty bit of work; a quick once-over. (*Typically: finish something with ~; give something ~.) • I was pressed for time, so I just gave the housework a lick and a promise. • Mary spent so much time on her history paper that she had to finish her math homework with a lick and a promise.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs