I've just seen an interview with the fine American comedian Reginald D. Hunter in which he several times used a phrase that was new to me - "a strong minute".

Apparently it means "a long time but not a very long time".

I like it. I may use it.

Is this a common phrase in the US or is it peculiar to him?

As opposed to a "minute minute"?

I've heard it, but it's not common, as far as I know.

Proofreader, you reminded me of Victor Borge: http://videosift.com/video/Min...ge-and-Leonid-Hambro

Geoff

VB played at the Warwick Musical Threatre once and his biggest laugh came when, about ten minutes into the performance, a woman was led to her seat. VB stopped the show and began to converse with her.
"Hello. How are you? Where did you come from?"
She said, "Attleboro" (about twenty miles north).
He shook his head and said, "I came all the way from Denmark and I still got here before you did."

I've never heard the expression "strong minute" until just this minute.

Wordmatic

I haven't either, and I'd be confused were I to hear it. A minute is a minute, isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
A minute is a minute, isn't it?

Well, we've discussed a New York minute before. The Word Detective has an article on New York minute, but he doesn't date it. He does say "rush hour" was coined in New York in the 1890s. I've never heard of "long minute" before.

quote:

Well, we've discussed a New York minute before.

How quickly we forget. I see that I had posted in that NY minute thread.

I somehow misread that as "long minute," not "strong minute." Of course, I haven't heard of that either.