Join FunTrivia for Free: Hourly trivia games, quizzes, community, and more!
Fun Trivia
Ask FunTrivia: Questions and Answers
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


What is the origin of the term 'New York minute'?

Question #130307. Asked by Tuffluck.
Last updated Jun 01 2018.
Originally posted Apr 01 2013 10:47 PM.

avatar
Jodisull star
Answer has 3 votes
Jodisull star avatar

Answer has 3 votes.
"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."

Urbandictionary.com
link http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=new%20york%20minute

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 01 2018.
Apr 01 2013, 11:56 PM
odo5435
Answer has 4 votes
Currently Best Answer
odo5435
12 year member
144 replies

Answer has 4 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
There seems to be considerable debate over this. As with most urban expressions, 'New York minute' was most likely coined through common use over time and it's exact origins will be forever shrouded in mystery.

The most reliable web reference I can find dates the expression (in print) back to at least 1954 but does not explain exactly how the phrase came into existence.

link http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20826

- 1954 "Betty Jean Bird of the Pirate Club has what she claims the smallest French poodle in the nation. . . It's no bigger than a New York minute and that's only thirty seconds."-Galveston News (Texas), 15 August, page 22/5

My favourite definition of the phrase is credited to Johnny Carson in the Urban Dictionary at link http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=new%20york%20minute :

"It's the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn."

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 01 2018.
Apr 02 2013, 12:03 AM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion