last-minute gift
3
2.3
- noun
- /ˈlæstˌmɪnɪt ɡɪft/
:
regalo de última hora
- She found the perfect last-minute gift for her friend just before the party started.
- last-minute gift ideas
- a great last-minute gift
- buy last-minute gifts
Examples
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Many people panic and scramble to buy a last-minute gift just before the holidays.
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Ornaments are fun to knit and make great last-minute gifts.
Blog text (1) -
Perfect for a last minute gift or a holiday hamper when we wake up in the morning.
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If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me.
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We went to the mall to buy last-minute gifts.
Fiction book (2002) -
She's helping me pick out some last-minute gifts.
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So my last-minute gift stockpile is empty.
Blog text (4) -
I need a last minute gift that doesn't involve teddy bears, balloons, or pictures of children with big eyes.
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Many programs offer gift cards as an option, which can come in handy around the holidays or for last-minute gifts at other times throughout the year.
Blog text (24) -
The perfect last-minute gift, this downloadable PDF lets you print and trim from home.
Blog text (23)
Antonyms
How Last-Minute
Surface Forms
Morphology
last-minute + gift
The compound adjective 'last-minute' is directly built from 'last' (final) + 'minute' (a short time unit) and means occurring at the final moment, so a 'last-minute gift' is a gift bought or arranged just before it is needed. This is a regular, compositional English pattern (compare 'last-minute decision' or the phrase 'at the last minute') and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase last-minute gift comes from the image of a clock showing the last minute, with someone rushing to buy a present at the very end. That's why it means 'a gift bought or arranged just before it is needed'.