in just a minute
54
1.7
- idiom
:
en un momento
- I'll be in in just a minute.
- be in just a minute back
- see you in just a minute
- talk to you in just a minute
And that's why we're going to switch to an electric mixer in just a minute, 'cause this is getting really thick.
- And that's why we're going to switch to an electric mixer in just a minute, 'cause this is getting really thick.
- It is not the definitive word on the topic, so we'll find out why in just a minute.
- Roseanne joins me in just a minute, but wanted to begin with this breaking news about the Duchess of Duplicity.
- And moving back, just rewind in just a minute back to the terrorist.
- It's rid of dirt and grime in just a minute.
- Tonight, tonight, tonight we got some fantastic guests coming up here in just a minute.
- And the fate of that paper is is concerning and I think you'll see why in just a minute.
Examples
-
Mama will fix that in just a minute.
-
And so we're gonna be with you in just a minute.
-
Can you come back in just a minute?
-
Your car will be ready in just a minute.
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We'll have it up in just a minute.
-
I'll be with you in just a minute.
-
I'll be ready for you in just a minute.
-
I'll be back in just a minute.
-
Dr. Keagy will be down in just a minute.
-
Can you come back in just a minute?
Synonyms
∞
1.0
In a short time
621
1.0
In a little while
198
1.0
Ask someone to wait for a very short time
174
1.3
Very quickly, in a short time
58
2.1
Something can happen very soon and without warning
56
1.6
It happens soon
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
30
3.6
In a very short time
8
3.4
Soon, in a short time
3
7.0
Happens very soon
3
3.0
It happens very quickly with little effort
1
8.1
Happening fairly soon but not at a set time
It will happen very soon
Happens at any moment
In a very short time
Happens very quickly
Antonyms
How Soon
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'very soon' is directly and transparently composed from the parts: 'in' (within), 'just' (only/very shortly), 'a' (one) and 'minute' (a short time). This is a common temporal construction found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase in just a minute comes from people looking at a clock and promising to come back after a very small movement of the minute hand. Because just and minute show a very short time, it now means 'very soon'.