當(dāng)你需要別人等你一會兒的時候，你會說give me a minute，這里的a minute不一定是一分鐘，也許是十分鐘或者更長時間，然而a New York minute（紐約一分鐘）指的就是那轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的一分鐘。

A New York minute is an instant. Or as Johnny Carson once said, it's the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn.

“紐約一分鐘”指的就是一瞬間。或者就像約翰尼?卡森說過的，它是從曼哈頓交通信號燈變綠到后面那輛車的司機(jī)按喇叭催你快走的那一小段極為短暫的時間。

It appears to have originated in Texas around 1967. It is a reference to the frenzied and hectic pace of New Yorkers' lives. A New Yorker does in an instant what a Texan would take a minute to do.

這一說法好像是1967年左右起源于美國德克薩斯州的。當(dāng)時這一說法暗指紐約人急促忙亂的生活節(jié)奏。一個德克薩斯人花一分鐘做好的事情，一個紐約人一轉(zhuǎn)眼就做好了。

Example:

I'll have that ready for you in a New York Minute.

等我“紐約一分鐘”，我很快就給你準(zhǔn)備好。

（中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 陳丹妮）