Does anyone have an idea? Close friends? I usually see this term in stories where the friends were best friends and then they fight for some reason.
5 Answers
From Merriam-Webster:
fast
[...]
2 : firmly loyal <became fast friends>
From Wiktionary:
Of people: steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now only in set phrases like "fast friend".) [from 10th c.]
Etymonline provides some background:
O.E. fæst "firmly fixed, steadfast, secure, enclosed," probably from P.Gmc. *fastuz (cf. O.Fris. fest, O.N. fastr, Du. vast, Ger. fest)
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interetsing, i always thought "they became fast friends" meant "they quickly became friends"– ClaudiuOct 31, 2010 at 0:13
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1@Claudiu: that would be "they became friends fast" or "they fast became friends". Note how you didn't write "they became quickly friends". An adverb doesn't really fit in there.– RegDwigнt ♦Oct 31, 2010 at 0:24
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6With the meaning of "firmly fixed", "fast" is also used in the phrase "stuck fast", to mean really, really stuck. Nov 1, 2010 at 10:11
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4I always thought that meant "make your seatbelts go faster!"– user1635Nov 27, 2010 at 1:06
The sense of "fast" here is almost obsolete; it's the "fast" of "steadfast," as noted by RegDwight above. It means "tight" or "secure," and you'll see it in literature in expressions like "hold fast" meaning to "get a tight grip" (on something). "Hold fast to your dreams" means to keep them close and never let them go.
Which is exactly what you should do with a good friend.
Fast friends are people who newly meet by circumstances but find themselves mutually trustworthy and so, bond together.
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Welcome to ELU. This site expects references to back up your assertions. For a good answer, see the accepted answer on this question, which has a dictionary reference to back it up.– AndyTAug 21, 2017 at 9:08
Fast friends means friends who spend most of their time in a day together. Or friends who are always seen together.
A pairing of two or more people whom quickly become close and find each other disposable; similar to fast food : readily available and enjoyable at the time.
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2That is not what fast means here. Your use of whom is also incorrect. Mar 7, 2015 at 9:43
Usain Bolt
is fastest human (according to TIME mag) and if he is your friend then he is your fast[est] friend. :)