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on-the-spot

on-the-spot

5 4.5
Happening immediately at the place where something is happening
  • adjective
  • /ˈɑn ðə spɑt/
translation icon : in situ
  • Noticing how students respond in these lessons also allowed Ms. Jamison to do on-the-spot observational assessments of their learning to determine what additional individual or whole-group support was needed.

Examples

  • Our helicopter is overhead with Roy Baxter to bring you an on-the-spot report.

  • The teacher in her 911 call gave an on-the-spot testimony of what was happening at the time.

    Blog text (12)
  • That means that political or legal decision applies on the spot and all over the territory.

  • And in so doing, they create law on the spot, in the interests of the state, without democratic oversight.

  • At any moment, he might stroll through the factory and fire someone on the spot for failing to meet his standards.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The evening news: a live, on-the-spot interview from Gotham Square.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Not just the local papers, but reporters from all over the country will have on-the-spot coverage, photographers...

  • Up-to-the-minute interactive kiosks encourage visitors to do on-the-spot research about mammals on display, compare them with other animals, or tap into the museum's database.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Because their questions tended to be cursory, on-the-spot constructions, teachers often received flat, one-word, half-hearted responses from students.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The news team provided an on-the-spot report from the scene of the accident.

Synonyms

on-the-scene
vson-the-spot
  • Literature
201 4.2

At the place where something is happening or has just happened

focuses on actions happening or done at that place rather than mere presence
on the spot
vson-the-spot
121 2.8

Immediately at the exact place where something happens, often needing a quick response

describes events happening or done at the scene without stressing speed
on-site
vson-the-spot
56 3.4

At the place where the work happens

means happening at the scene of an event rather than a workplace location

How Close

on-the-spot
5 4.5
nearby
325 1.0
off-site
16 3.9
remote
40 5.1

Surface Forms

on-the-spot positive

Morphology

on-the-spot = the + spot (transparent) = on + the + spot

The adjective is a literal adjectival form of the phrase 'on the spot' ('on' + 'the' + 'spot'), so learners who know the components can infer the meaning 'at the scene' or 'immediate'. [Postprocessing: moved 'on' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

On-the-spot comes from the simple idea of being on the spot, where 'spot' means the exact 'place' where something happens. So to be on-the-spot is to be right there at the scene and often to make a quick decision.