Two ticks

Origin of: Two ticks

Two ticks

"I'll be with you in two ticks" means that I will be with you very shortly. 'Two ticks' refers to two clicks of a clock i.e. two seconds. Tick, as in the sound that a clock makes, dates from 1680, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). 'Two ticks' meaning shortly or soon, dates from 1879, again according to the OED. See also Two shakes of a lamb's tail