What does 'fast friends' mean?

Question

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.

Usain Bolt is fastest human (according to TIME mag) and if he is your friend then he is your fast[est] friend. :) — Rakesh Juyal, Oct 31 '10 at 11:55
@Rakesh:then he would be fastest,I am searching for a 'fast friend'. — , Oct 31 '10 at 15:16

RegDwigнt · Accepted Answer · 2010-10-30T20:38:16.567

25

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)

edited Oct 30 '10 at 20:38

answered Oct 30 '10 at 20:28

RegDwigнt

97,231

interetsing, i always thought "they became fast friends" meant "they quickly became friends" – Claudiu Oct 31 '10 at 00:13
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 '10 at 00:24
6

With the meaning of "firmly fixed", "fast" is also used in the phrase "stuck fast", to mean really, really stuck. – Steve Melnikoff Nov 01 '10 at 10:11
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@Steve: and let us not forget "fasten your seatbelts". – RegDwigнt Nov 01 '10 at 10:17
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I always thought that meant "make your seatbelts go faster!" – Nov 27 '10 at 01:06
@Steve And fast asleep, of course. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Mar 07 '15 at 09:42

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 22 '11 at 01:13

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.

score -3 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 21 '17 at 06:24

-3

Fast friends are people who newly meet by circumstances but find themselves mutually trustworthy and so, bond together.

answered Aug 21 '17 at 06:24

McBen

1

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. – AndyT Aug 21 '17 at 09:08

score -3 · Answer 4 · answered Jan 06 '18 at 18:00

-3

Fast friends means friends who spend most of their time in a day together. Or friends who are always seen together.

answered Jan 06 '18 at 18:00

user275028

1

score -6 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 07 '15 at 08:16

-6

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.

answered Mar 07 '15 at 08:16

user112896

1

2

That is not what fast means here. Your use of whom is also incorrect. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Mar 07 '15 at 09:43

What does 'fast friends' mean?

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