New York minute (time)

A New York minute is an informal term used to mean a very short period of time. The term refers to the common perception that the people in New York City are hurried and impatient.

Johnny Carson once described a New York Minute as being the time it takes "From the (traffic) lights to turn green, till the guy behind you starts honking his horn". During the late 1980s crime wave, David Letterman defined a New York Minute as the length of time it took to be mugged in New York City.

A New York minute may be compared to the idea of Internet time, and contrasted with that of a country mile (which is informally described as much greater than a regular mile).

There is also a song titled "In A New York Minute" by U.S lyricist Fran Landesman and U.K. composer Simon Wallace, also sung by Don Henley of the Eagles.

Use of the term in New York betrays the speaker as being from out of town Fact|date=July 2008.

In the Unrated DVD edition of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Andy's boss Paula tells Cal that she would have sex with Andy "in a New York minute".

External links

* [http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/new_york_minute_or_new_york_nanosecond/ New York Minute/New York Nanosecond] "New York Minute" from New York word researcher Barry Popik.
* [http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-new1.htm World Wide Words] Suggests "New York minute" may have originated in Texas