Learn English – An expression for quick and nervous behaviour

single-word-requestsverbsvocabulary

I am looking for the verb or expression to use to describe when for instance you type quickly and nervously on your computer keyboard, perhaps to find something (on a search engine for instance).

Best Answer

So it has to describe

  • typing on a keyboard
  • nervously and quickly
  • that you are trying to find something

These are such unrelated concepts (especially the third one in connection to the other two!) that the chances of a language having come up with an expression to coincidentally exactly describe those three concepts applying all together are very slim at best.

The only time that happens is if and when the need for such an expression arises because people encounter the need to express the combined concepts quite often. Which I doubt is the case for this example.

However, apart from set phrases, you could introduce the concepts contextually:

He was frantically googling.

  • Would indicate his use of a well-know search engine.
  • Which in turn tells us is is trying to find something.
  • Since we know that using google means we type things, we know he is typing.
  • The use of frantically tells us he is doing it in what may be described as fast and nervously.

(I assume you meant a search engine, not a research engine...)

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