on the spot
121
2.8
- idiom
:
en el acto
- So right there on the spot, you estimate how much it would cost.
- make decisions on the spot
- put on the spot
- right on the spot
I shared my recipe that I made-up on the spot with The Washington Post.
- I shared my recipe that I made-up on the spot with The Washington Post.
- The guy literally wrote the song on the spot, wrote the lyrics on the spot.
- So right there on the spot, you estimate how much it would cost.
- We're trying to avoid people riffing on the spot.
- Well, two men die of fright right on the spot in that accursed instant.
- You know him allegedly and they sacked him on the spot.
- It's like, how can you make a distinction on the spot that what he's doing is in fair use?
- And yeah, I was asked if I would be willing to commit there on the spot to defunding the police.
- We would have ruined it all right there on the spot.
- And I was like, oh, and so then you're really on the spot.
- So thinking of a YouTube hook right here on the spot, right?
Examples
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You would have taken the offer on the spot.
-
They hired me on the spot.
-
If you can do something on the spot, do it.
-
OK, on the spot, live radio, here we go.
-
If you wanted a quick on the spot review, there you go.
-
After all, here he was, on the spot, right where it was happening.
Fiction book (1992) -
They actually offered me the job right on the spot.
-
This new service offers on the spot expert advice designed to help cosmetic shoppers choose the right color.
-
Creating harmony on the spot to a well-known melody can be a challenge.
Academic text (2004) -
If you're qualified for the job, they may hire you on the spot.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
At once without waiting
960
1.0
Without any delay
344
1.0
Immediately without delay
330
1.0
Right away without any delay
130
1.0
Happening or done without any delay
50
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
45
3.2
Do something immediately at that moment
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
25
5.6
Happen at once without delay
24
3.3
Immediately after you see or notice something
8
3.0
Immediately without delay
7
3.2
Without delay after something happens
3
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
1
3.5
Very quickly, in an instant
Right after something happens
Happens very quickly
Antonyms
How Immediate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'on' (location) + 'spot' (particular place): 'on the spot' literally means 'at that place', which a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer. The extended sense 'immediately' is a common spatial→temporal mapping found across languages (e.g., 'en el acto', 'sur place'), so the sense is predictable from the parts rather than fully idiomatic.
Etymology
On the spot comes from the image of someone standing right on a small spot, the exact place where something happens. So if you are on that spot, you must act or decide 'immediately' and you are 'at the exact place' of the event.