-To be quick on the uptake means quick to learn something. -To be quick on the draw means to react very quickly to something They are similar..think of 'quick on the draw' as someone who sees a very fast car coming towards them and jumps out of the way before everyone else, and 'quick on the uptake' as someone who learns a language very quickly. One is reactive (draw), the other (uptake) is more about acquiring an understanding.

- To be quick on the uptake. - To be quick on the draw. They are the same idea. "To be quick on the uptake" would be more correctly used to refer to someone's ability to learn quickly. It is slang. "To be "quick on the draw" comes from the Old West where men would have gunfights. If a man was quick on the draw, he could pull out his gun faster and shot the other man before he was shot. It is also used as slang. This video may help you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7t-GlNoFuQ