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/ˈpɹɛstəʊ/ · adverb
(music) Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo..
So I put my hand into the hat and presto! Out comes a rabbit!
You know the old man's ivory leg, well I dreamed he kicked me with it ; and when I tried to kick back, upon my soul, my little man, I kicked my leg right off! And then, presto! Ahab seemed a pyramid, and I, like a blazing fool, kept kicking at it.
Then comes the chance to become a governess, first in St. John’s Wood, then, in a Sussex country house. And presto! Bronwen is transformed into “a wild tornado” hotly pursued by two Messrs. Right.
Use presto when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Presto means (music) Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo..
Common synonyms include alakazam, hocus-pocus, abracadabra, hey pass.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
So I put my hand into the hat and presto! Out comes a rabbit!
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