greased lightning (uncountable)

1. Something incredibly fast#Adjective|fast (now mainly used in comparison: like or faster than greased lightning).
   • [1847 January – 1848 July​, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Sentimental and Otherwise”, in Vanity Fair. A Novel without a Hero, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, OCLC 3174108 ↗, page 104 ↗:

     He rode his own horse, Greased Lightning, and won the Garrison cup at Quebec races.]

• German: geölte Blitz, wie der geölte Blitz