trice

trice
    n 1: a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or
         the heart to beat); "if I had the chance I'd do it in a
         flash" [syn: {blink of an eye}, {flash}, {heartbeat},
         {instant}, {jiffy}, {split second}, {trice}, {twinkling},
         {wink}, {New York minute}]
    v 1: raise with a line; "trice a window shade" [syn: {trice},
         {trice up}]
    2: hoist up or in and lash or secure with a small rope [syn:
       {trice}, {trice up}]
    

Trice \Trice\, v. t. [OE. trisen; of Scand. or Low German
   origin; cf. Sw. trissa a sheave, pulley, triss a spritsail
   brace, Dan. tridse a pulley, tridse to haul by means of a
   pulley, to trice, LG. trisse a pulley, D. trijsen to hoist.]
   [Written also {trise}.]
   1. To pull; to haul; to drag; to pull away. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Out of his seat I will him trice.     --Chaucer.
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   2. (Naut.) To haul and tie up by means of a rope.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Trice \Trice\, n. [Sp. tris the noise made by the breaking of
   glass, an instant, en un tris in an instant; probably of
   imitative origin.]
   A very short time; an instant; a moment; -- now used only in
   the phrase in a trice. "With a trice." --Turbervile. " On a
   trice." --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

         A man shall make his fortune in a trice. --Young.
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27 Moby Thesaurus words for "trice":
      breath, coup, crack, flash, half a jiffy, half a mo, half a second,
      half a shake, instant, jiff, jiffy, microsecond, millisecond,
      minute, moment, sec, second, shake, split second, stroke, tick,
      twink, twinkle, twinkling, twitch, two shakes, wink