| English > English |
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| on the spot |
| 1. prep. At that very moment; right away. |
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| He liked the house, so he made an offer on the spot. |
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| 2. prep. Having to answer or decide without warning or preparation. |
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| All the sudden questions put him on the spot and he had to think quickly. |
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| 3. prep. In a particular place. |
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| This report comes from our man on the spot in Gaza. |
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| We exercised by jumping up and down on the spot. |
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| Analysis |
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| on |
| 1. adj. In the state of being active, functioning or operating. |
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| 2. adj. Performing according to schedule. |
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| Are we still on for tonight? |
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| Is the show still on? |
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| 3. adj. (chiefly UK, informal, usually negative) Acceptable, appropriate. |
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| the |
| 1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already |
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| I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) |
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| The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) |
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| The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. |
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| 2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. |
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| spot |
| 1. n. A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. |
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| The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur. |
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| 2. n. A stain or disfiguring mark. |
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| I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out. |
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| 3. n. A pimple, papule or pustule. |
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