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[OM] Re: ( OM) OT Momentary or momentarily

Subject: [OM] Re: ( OM) OT Momentary or momentarily
From: Doug Smith <dhsmith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 21:39:57 -0400
On Fri April 6 2007 4:31 pm, Winsor Crosby wrote:
> The Oxford Dictionary in my Mac:
>
>
>
> Dictionary
>
> momentarily 
> adverb
> 1 for a very short time : as he passed Jenny's door, he paused
> momentarily.
> 2 at any moment; very soon : my husband will be here to pick me up
> momentarily.
>

Unless context indicated the first use I would take any ambiguous use to have 
the second meaning

For example if I called some one on my cell phone and told them, I'll be there 
momentarily, it would mean I'm just down the road or next door or something 
like that. To me it implies a shorter time that soon. In ascending order it 
would be soon,  in awhile, after awhile, when I get a change, and sometime. 
If it is an answer to an anxiously asked  "are you coming" I'll be there when 
I get done dealing with what ever I'm doing now.
 
This link seems to give a good comment on it. 
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010521

It isn't the only word that has different meanings in different parts of the 
English speaking world. I remember in High School we had a New Zealand 
exchange student that we'd make back up and explain what she was talking 
about because it wasn't making much sense to us.

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