last thing on one's mind
6
6.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
última cosa en la mente
- That's the last thing on my mind.
- sex was the last thing on my mind
- last thing on my mind right now
Examples
-
Maybe it was just me, but after I gave birth to my first, sex was the last thing on my mind.
Blog text (29) -
It was ironic that traffic was the last thing on my mind when I wrote that comment.
Blog text (3) -
But his future is the last thing on his mind.
Blog text (22) -
In fact, friendship was the last thing on his mind.
-
Honestly, sex is the last thing on my mind right now.
-
Odd, because money was usually the last thing on her mind.
Fiction book (1995) -
I reckon the last thing on his mind is competing.
-
Hesitation was the last thing on his mind.
Blog text (31) -
When you are attempting to stay afloat, bad credit repair is the last thing on your mind.
Blog text (17) -
When planning my vacation, work was the last thing on my mind.
Antonyms
How Important
831
3.7
906
1.7
∞
1.4
- Informal
6
6.0
30
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
last + thing + on + one + mind
The meaning 'not a priority or concern' is directly inferable by combining 'last' (final/least important) with 'thing' and the locative metaphor 'on one's mind' (what one is thinking about or concerned with). This compositional reading is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward semantic logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would very likely understand the expression.
Etymology
Last thing on one's mind gives a simple picture: imagine your thoughts in a list and the last thing sits at the back of your mind, so you are not thinking about it now. That's why it means 'not a priority' or 'not something you are likely to think about'.