I’ve decided to explain some idioms using the word minute, but I want to keep it short and simple…after all, no corre-corre do dia-a-dia every minute counts!
EVERY MINUTE COUNTS
This expression is simply another way of saying time is important. It’s used quite frequently in situations where time is very limited.
- In emergency rooms, doctors are well aware that every minute counts.
- The exam was very long and we had only an hour and a half to complete it; so as you can imagine, every minute counted.
A MILE A MINUTE
We use this expression to talk about something that is very fast. It’s most commonly used with the verbs: go, talk, move, travel .
- While Claire was telling me about her trip to India she was so excited that she was talking a mile a minute.
- The guy was going a mile a minute on his bicycle and almost ran me over.
UP TO THE MINUTE
When something is “up to the minute” it means that it is the most recent, current.
- Rachel’s good about sending me up-to-the-minute data on how our product’s doing on the market.
- Nowadays most news websites are up to the minute.
WAIT A MINUTE
Aside from its literal use, which is to ask someone to wait for a short period of time, “wait a minute” can also be used to interrupt someone to say something important that you’ve just thought of.
Jane: Let’s see, I’ve fed the dog, shut all the windows, turned the heater off…
John: Wait a minute, did you lock the back door?
Steve: He’s one of my best friends from college, tall, blonde, green eyes…
Sarah: Wait a minute, what did you say his name was?
Whoops! I’ve got to go. I wanted to write some more, but I often wait until the last minute to write my articles, so…until the next one!