EZ connects certain adverbs to the word "as", like "almost", "just", and "about":
+--EZ-+ | | I did it almost as quickly as he didThe expression "[number] times" can also be used in this way; "I did it three times as quickly as he did". The only usage of "as" that can be modified in this way is the first "as" in a comparative expression; "*I did it as quickly almost as he did". Thus "EZ-" only appears on "as.y", which is the dictionary expression for this usage.