lick and a promise noun2 •A quick, not-very-thorough wash.My grandparents called me only an hour before they decided to come visit, so I had to give the dirty living room a lick and a promise. •The hasty or incomplete performance of a task, done with the intention ("a promise") of thorough completion later.Now this is not the way to get a house in order. What this place needs is a real thorough old-fashioned cleaning. A lick and a promise won't do, no, sir! — 1955
