quick on the uptake
Able to readily understand things; aware and intelligent.
uptake
/ˈʌpteɪk/
noun 5verb 3
Collocations
2ADJ.
quick, slow
PREP.
in, on
Definitions
noun
1
Understanding; comprehension.
2
Absorption, especially of food or nutrient by an organism.
3
The act of lifting or taking up.
4
A chimney.
The design provides for continuous smoke troughs of reinforced concrete, vented by circular uptakes, and the turntable area will be covered, using precast reinforced concrete bars down both sides of each track.
5
The upcast pipe from the smokebox of a steam boiler towards the chimney.
verb
1
To take up, to lift.
He hearkned to his reason, and the childe Vptaking, to the Palmer gaue to beare [...].
2
To absorb, as food or a drug by an organism.
3
To accept and begin to use, as a new practice.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
on the uptake
In understanding or in the ability to absorb new information; especially in the phrases "quick on the uptake" and "slow on the uptake".
slow on the uptake
Of a person, slow to comprehend or process intellectually.
Example Bank
601
The design provides for continuous smoke troughs of reinforced concrete, vented by circular uptakes, and the turntable area will be covered, using precast reinforced concrete bars down both sides of e
Wiktionary02
He hearkned to his reason, and the childe Vptaking, to the Palmer gaue to beare [...].
Wiktionary03
He's a good kid - very quick on the uptake and he does whatever needs to be done.
Tatoeba · #28894104
Sometimes Markku is a bit slow on the uptake.
Tatoeba · #251408205
A clever man is always quick in the uptake.
Tatoeba · #294243706
Tom is a little slow on the uptake.
Tatoeba · #3414963Usage Notes
i Register
In some senses, uptake is marked as dated, archaic. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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