In a New York minute

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Meaning

Almost immediately; in an exceptionally short time. Current informal idiom Regional use: United States; possible Canadian York antecedent.

Origin

The standard expression evokes the perceived speed of New York City life, yet its history is not entirely simple. Clear New York minute examples appear in Kansas and Pennsylvania in 1870. An English traveller had written York minute in 1830 while describing York, Upper Canada, now Toronto; that may be an independent joke, a play on an already unrecorded New York phrase, or a predecessor. The evidence cannot choose among those paths.

Variants

  • a New York minute
  • one-fourth of a New York minute

Usage Examples

  • Mention free theatre tickets and June will answer in a New York minute.
  • The empty taxi disappeared around the corner in a New York minute.

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