# twenty to the dozen

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/twenty-to-the-dozen
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

very fast, fluently

## Examples

- She talks twenty to the dozen when she is excited.
- My sister was so nervous about her interview that she spoke twenty to the dozen the entire time.
- The auctioneer spoke twenty to the dozen, his rapid-fire delivery keeping the crowd engaged as the prices climbed higher and higher.

## Origin

The idiom arises from the suggestion of a quantitative imbalance in speech, as if one speaker were producing twenty words for every twelve uttered by their interlocutor. The phrase implies a pace of delivery that is socially inconvenient for those attempting to maintain a balanced conversation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.