A lick and a promise
A lick and a promise
a hasty and careless wash or cleaning, a hasty wash, superficially dealing with tasks and things, whitewash
The phrase “a lick and a promise” means a chore done hastily, carelessly without any effort or an incomplete task. It is mostly used in terms of painting, tidying up things or for jobs like washing clothes.
Origin of “A Lick and a Promise”
It is stated that the phrase has been used in this meaning in Critical Reviews of the Annals of Literature for the first time. Later, Elizabeth Acton used this phrase in her book The Modern Cook in 1845 in this sense. She has given it present meanings as she has it as, “If you clean, clean thoroughly, having nothing to do with the ‘slut’s wipe’, and the ‘lick and a promise.’ Also, it was used in printed form in The Era, a paper, in its March 1848 publication. Note: Here, Slut’s wipe means Slut’s wool, which means accumulated dust, hair, fluff, etc.
Source: https://literarydevices.net/
The mother criticized her daughter for giving the clothes just a lick and a promise instead of cleaning them thoroughly.
Farsi: تمیزکاری سطحی