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）