not a minute too soon
- idiom
- Informal
:
justo a tiempo
- She submitted her assignment not a minute too soon before the deadline.
Examples
-
The firefighters reached the burning house not a minute too soon.
-
The doctor arrived not a minute too soon to save the patient.
-
He arrived not a minute too soon!
-
The train left not a minute too soon after we got on.
-
The ambulance arrived not a minute too soon as the patient was in critical condition.
-
She finished her presentation not a minute too soon before her turn to speak.
-
They signed the contract not a minute too soon to secure the deal before the deadline.
Synonyms
524
1.1
Before the last moment, early enough not to be late
240
1.9
The latest time before something must happen
171
1.7
Happens at a time that is early enough, not too late
167
3.5
At the last moment before it is too late
101
2.5
Happening just before the last possible moment to act
52
1.7
At the exact moment something happens
16
3.2
Happen at the right time, neither too late nor too early
14
3.5
Just before it is too late
6
5.2
The latest possible time before a deadline or event
3
4.5
The last moment before a deadline when it is almost too late
Antonyms
How Timely
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'just in time' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'minute' (a short time), 'too soon' (earlier than desirable) and the negation 'not' together yield 'not even a minute earlier than needed' i.e. at the last possible moment. This is a regular compositional pattern (cf. 'not a moment too soon') that a B1 learner who knows the words should be able to infer.
Etymology
Not a minute too soon gives a clear picture: imagine someone arriving with only one minute left on the clock, just before something bad would happen. So it means 'just in time' or at the very last moment before it would be 'too late'.