To deal with someone/something or dispose of something very quickly

After working hard all day long without any lunch, Frankie was starving and at dinnertime he made short work of all the food on the table

Dopo una giornata di duro lavoro, senza aver pranzato, Franco aveva una fame da lupi e, a cena, ha fatto fuori in quattro e quattr'otto tutto il cibo in tavola

The two sisters knew they had to clean up their rooms before going out, so they made short work of it and went right off to the pub with their friends

Le due sorelle sapevano di dover riordinare le loro stanze prima di poter uscire, perciò hanno fatto tutto in quattro e quattr'otto e sono poi andate al pub con gli amici

The tennis champ made short work of his young and green opponent: 6-0, 6-0

Il campione di tennis ha fatto fuori il giovane e inesperto avversario in quattro e quattr'otto: 6-0, 6-0

This expression, recorded as far back as 1577 and still used today in informal contexts, actually means "to turn something into a brief task"