on the spur of the moment
Very suddenly, impulsively, and/or without preparation beforehand; in an impromptu or capricious manner. You've got to stop making decisions about your business on the spur of the moment like this, or you'll end up running it into the ground! It's totally out my character to take a trip on the spur of the moment, but I just needed to get out of the city for a while.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
on the spur of the moment
Fig. suddenly; spontaneously. We decided to go on the spur of the moment. I had to leave town on the spur of the moment.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
on the spur of the moment
Impulsively, without prior preparation, as in He decided to join a tour to England on the spur of the moment. This expression alludes to the goading action of a spur to a horse. [Late 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on the spur of the moment
COMMON If you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it suddenly and without planning it in advance. He decided on the spur of the moment to make the journey south to Newcastle. She asked me, on the spur of the moment, to go along with her. Note: A spur-of-the-moment action or decision is sudden and has not been planned in advance. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was like, let's do something with the kids before school starts. We hadn't planned it — it was a spur-of-the-moment thing.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
on the spur of the moment
on a momentary impulse; without premeditation. 1988 Rodney Hall Kisses of the Enemy Now that was a witticism, an inspiration on the spur of the moment.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(do something) on the ˌspur of the ˈmoment
if you do something on the spur of the moment, you do it as soon as you think of it, without planning or preparation: When they telephoned me with the offer of a job abroad, I decided on the spur of the moment to accept. ♢ It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the spur of the moment
Spontaneously and impulsively, without deliberation. This figure of speech, which likens the right time (the moment) to the goading action of spur to horse, dates from the late eighteenth century. Archibald Duncan used it in Lord Nelson’s Funeral (1806): “The contrivance of Mr. Wyatt, on the spur of the moment.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer