on the spotadv.adj.

Brit.

/ˌɒn ðə ˈspɒt/, U.S.

/ˌɔn ðə ˈspɑt/,

/ˌɑn ðə ˈspɑt/

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: on prep., the adj., spot n.¹

Etymology: < on prep. + the adj. + spot n.¹

A. adv.

1. Then and there, straight away, at once.Often the sense ‘at that very location’ is also present to some degree, and so this use may overlap with sense A. 2.

ΚΠ

1647 G. Tooke Belides 36 Saint Severin the souldier, does..bide Victorious on the spot.

1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. ii. sig. Zz3^v/2 To die on the spot, mourir sur la place.

1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 40 ⁋10 In which Engagement there were Eighteen Hundred Men kill'd on the Spot.

1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 11 I shall..run mad on the very spot for joy.

1835 I. Taylor Spiritual Despotism iii. 94 Punishing the refractory either on the spot or in the persons of their posterity.

1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate iii I invited them both on the spot to afternoon tea on Saturday.

1910 H. H. Richardson Getting of Wisdom i. 6 The younger children were to be quelled by a threat that she would faint on the spot, if they did not do as she wished.

1981 T. C. Boyle Water Music (1983) i. 29 Get up on your feet and double-time it back to that tent before they shoot you dead on the spot.

2014 Guardian 28 July 21/2 The ‘lab on a chip’ uses organic semiconductors and sensors..to test DNA samples on the spot.

2. At the very place or locality in question; at the scene of the event.

ΚΠ

1668 H. More Divine Dialogues ii. xxi. 302 I should be in so high a rage against the Villain, if I were on the spot, that I should scarce have the discretion how to deliberate to punish him so exquisitely as he deserved.

1756 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 572/2 The Holy Well [at Malvern] drank on the spot leaves a pertness in the throat approaching the taste of brass or allum.

1796 J. B. Bordley Sketches on Rotations of Crops (new ed.) All the building materials are to be on the spot, ready to be put up as soon as the pit is dug, lest rain damage the pit before the house can be covered.

1811 Gen. Regulations & Orders Army 80 Officers who may be ordered..to return Home from a Foreign Station, are to apply for a Passage to the principal Agent of the Transport Board, on the Spot.

1881 L. B. Walford Dick Netherby xxii Mischief was brewing..and he ought to be on the spot to counteract it.

1948 Spectator 31 Dec. 861/2 I studied the matter on the spot, in the United States.

1971 Country Life 10 June 1444/3 I was fortunate in being on the spot to take this photograph when the Quarter Jack was brought down..for repairs.

2006 Guardian 31 July 13/1 The catch will be salted on the spot and brought back to Lewis in barrels.

3. Stock Market. As traded immediately; at immediate cash rates. Cf. on spot at spot n.¹ and adv. Phrases 1c(a). Now rare.

ΚΠ

1805 Commerc. Secretary 144 Potashes, on the spot, R 32; on contract, R 31.

1880 Statist 1 May 195/1 Market dull; New St. Petersburgh Yellow Candle offers at 42s. 6d. per cwt, and Old at 42s on the spot.

1917 Drug & Chem. Markets 19 Sept. 20/2 The Hayti grade of sticks is quoted as high as $46 a ton on the spot.

2003 Daily Tel. 23 Dec. 24/4 The inquiry centres on the exchange's aluminium market, where the metal is bought either on the spot or three months in advance.

a. Cricket. With reference to bowling: to or on the desired place on the pitch. With reference to a bowler: consistently landing the ball at the desired place on the pitch. Cf. spot n.¹ 14c(a).

ΚΠ

1854 Bell's Life in London 7 May 6/4 He was bowled by a ‘breaker’ from Wisden, who..was wonderfully on the spot.

1854 Bell's Life in London 8 Oct. 6/1 The bowling was reremarkably [sic] straight, but perhaps not quite so much ‘on the spot’ as is generally the case.

1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 247/1 To bowl ‘on the spot’ is to bowl a good ‘length’.

1958 Times 31 May 11/3 Shepherd, with his long loping stride, dropped his off-cutters on the spot.

2015 Free Press Leader (Austral.) (Nexis) 11 Feb. 19 Nine of the 10 wickets taken..were bowled, a sure sign that bowlers are right on the spot.

b. More generally: completely accurate, exactly right, perfect; = spot on adj. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > [adverb] > exactly so, just

rightOE

evenOE

alrightOE

allOE

evenlya1375

preciselyc1443

very1530

meet1543

on the spot1884

(right) on the button1925

spot on2009

1884 I. Bligh in James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Ann. i. ii. 6 Our ground fielding was, as usual, well on the spot.

1940 Postville (Iowa) Herald 24 Apr. 4/3 Loma Leads is right on the spot with this type of dress.

2006 in E. Gutstein Reading & Writing World with Math. iii. 49 What Marisol said on Friday was right on the spot.

c. Of a person: quick-witted, alert, sharp.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [adjective]

sharpc888

yepec1000

spacka1200

yare-witelc1275

fellc1300

yap13..

seeinga1382

far-castinga1387

sightya1400

perceivinga1425

snellc1425

politic?a1439

quickc1449

pregnant?a1475

pert1484

quick-wittedc1525

apt1535

intelligentc1540

queemc1540

ready-witted1576

political1577

of (a) great, deep, etc., reach1579

conceited1583

perspicuous1584

sharp-witteda1586

shrewd1589

inseeing1590

conceived1596

acute1598

pregnate1598

agile1599

nimble-headed1601

insighted1602

nimble1604

nimble-witted1604

penetrant1605

penetrating1606

spraga1616

acuminous1619

discoursing1625

smart1639

penetrativea1641

sagacious1650

nasute1653

acuminate1654

blunt-sharpa1661

long-headed1665

smoky1688

rapid1693

keen1704

gash1706

snack1710

cute1731

mobile1778

wide awake1785

acuminated1786

quick-minded1789

kicky1790

snap1790

downy1803

snacky1806

unbaffleable1827

varmint1829

needle-sharp1836

nimble-brained1836

incisivea1850

spry1849

fast1850

snappy1871

hard-boiled1884

on the spot1903

1903 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang VI. ii. 323/1 Palm and be always on the spot.

1910 E. M. Forster Howards End xxiv. 153 I say! Howards End—Howards Ended!.. I'm rather on the spot this evening, eh!

1962 N. Streatfeild Apple Bough i. 22 He was..far less on the spot than Myra, in fact he was probably as vague as his parents.

2003 Advertiser (Nexis) 6 Dec. (Mag. section) w4 Iranian girl is young, bright and on-the-spot.

5. With a verb of motion, as to run on the spot: without moving from one's original position; = in place at place n.¹ Phrases 2a(a).

ΚΠ

1905 E. A. Roberts Handbk. Free-standing Gymnastics ii. iv. 122 Such movements as preparation-for-jump, jump-on-the-spot, curtsey-sitting, and other balances.

1907 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 2 Feb. 202/2 You can run ‘on the spot’..and ‘work up a sweat’ in this way that will satisfy any trainer.

1988 P. Wetton Physical Educ. in Nursery & Infant School iii. 37 ‘Hop on the spot’, then ‘jump on the spot’, ‘turn around’ and finally, ‘jog on the spot’.

2008 Guardian 10 May (Weekend Suppl.) 23/2 ‘Back illusions’ (a manoeuvre that involves flipping backwards on the spot).

a. U.S. Criminals' slang. In the situation of being targeted for murder. Now rare.Recorded earliest in to put on the spot at Phrases 2a.

ΚΠ

1927 N.Y. Times 12 Mar. 1/5 The circumstances indicated to the police that they had in gangland parlance, ‘been put on the spot’.

1929 N.Y. Times 17 Feb. 24/4 The two Gusenberg brothers, Peter and Frank, and their followers were ‘on the spot’.

1951 Sandusky (Ohio) Reg. Star-News 20 Nov. 1/4 Albert Anastasia, the reputed boss executioner of Murder, Inc., is ‘on the spot’... That's the word from underworld sources.

b. In a difficult or awkward situation; facing a difficult decision or question; under pressure.Recorded earliest in to put on the spot at Phrases 2c.

ΚΠ

1929 Amer. Speech 4 343 Put-on-the-spot, left waiting at an appointed meeting place.

1932 N.Y. Amsterdam News 11 May 8/2 Honolulu and Scottsboro—these two cities are now on the spot.

1960 C. A. Lockwood & H. C. Adamson Trag. at Honda xiii. 205 Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby..was on the spot... In his opinion, the honor and the prestige of the Navy were at stake.

2002 Financial Times 20 Feb. 8/3 Three years after winning international praise for wrestling with Germany's spiralling state debts and trying to balance the budget, Hans Eichel is on the spot again.

B. adj. Usually hyphenated.

Occurring, made, delivered, etc., without delay or change of place; immediate. Also (of a report or account): made by a person who was present at the scene of an action or event.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > presence > [adjective]

boundc1175

present1340

towarda1375

presentlya1425

assistant1485

presentiala1500

presentaneous1668

assisting1670

standing1788

on the spot1886

on-site1939

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [adjective] > witnessing

witnessing1859

on the spot1886

the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > [adjective] > instantaneous

instantany1633

unmomentary1635

instantaneal1644

instantaneous1651

touch and go1682

presto1767

snappy1872

overnighta1911

durationless1919

split-second1946

on the spot1960

1886 G. M. Hopkins Further Lett. (1956) 257 Some on-the-spot account of the late riots, as witnessed by yourself or friends and informants.

1939 Public Opinion Q. 3 561 The freshness and immediacy of on-the-spot telecasting, and the documentary approach, may have a salutary effect upon the theater newsreel.

1960 Guardian 11 Apr. 8/1 The use of traffic wardens and on-the-spot fines.

1992 Metro (San Jose, Calif.) 7 May 60/1 Self-service setup with mouthwatering traditional recipes, fresh ingredients, on-the-spot prep, low-fat and lard-free dishes.

2002 Which? Feb. 14/2 The majority of shops provided written information about safety equipment but..only around half the outlets gave on-the-spot advice.

Phrases

P1.

man on the spot n. a local official, agent, or informant of a government, company, news agency, etc., esp. in a foreign country; a person with immediate responsibility or authority; (also) a local eyewitness.

ΚΠ

1746 Laws, Ordin. & Inst. Admirality Great Brit. II. x. 98 If there be no Consul, nor any other English Man on the Spot, in that case the said Goods and Effects shall be committed to the Custody of the Cadi of the said Place.

1793 Parl. Reg. 1781–96 XXXIV. 115 We shall have a man on the spot, cloathed with the character of an Ambassador, that we might be in a situation to treat with France.

1837 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 31 65 I also conversed with a man on the spot, for many years a resident here.

1897 I. Malcolm in R. S. Churchill W. S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. ii. xii. 848 I write like the ‘man on the spot’ The most inconceivable rot.

1955 G. Greene Quiet Amer. i. ii. 21 I always like to know what the man on the spot has to say.

1973 D. J. Boorstin Americans: Democratic Experience xliii. 390 By the late twentieth century the man on the spot, the viewer of the experience where it actually happened, began to feel confined and limited.

2008 C. Robbins Apples are from Kazakhstan viii. 246 These were not the first words I expected to hear from the BBC's man on the spot.

P2. to put (a person) on the spot.

a. U.S. Criminals' slang. To target (a person) for murder. Now rare (historical in later use).

ΚΠ

1927Put on the spot [see sense A. 6a].

1931 E. Wallace On Spot viii. 103 They never gave you a chance, Shaun. They put you on the spot, didn't they?

1961 Spectator 8 Sept. 318/2 When a rival gangster was put on the spot, the objective was making sure that he was very dead.

b. colloquial (originally U.S.). To prove or establish that (a person) was present at the scene of a particular event, esp. a crime.

ΚΠ

1928 Detective Fiction Weekly 11 Aug. 735/2 The banker did not dare identify us for fear that we would expose his part in the plot, but we learned that the State still had one reliable witness, who could ‘put us on the spot’.

1956 ‘E. Ferrars’ Murder moves In x. 99 I can put him on the spot at the time of the murder—right—on—the—spot!

2013 National Public Radio (transcript of radio programme) (Nexis) 8 July He can put him on the spot of some of the most violent episodes that these jurors will ever hear.

c. colloquial (originally U.S.). To put (a person) into a difficult or awkward situation; to present (a person) with a difficult decision or question, esp. one that requires immediate action or response.

ΚΠ

1929Put-on-the-spot [see sense A. 6b].

1934 G. Ade Let. 24 June (1973) 184 The Democrats have put every independent voter on the spot by nominating [Sherman] Minton at the dictation of Paul McNutt.

1960 H. Innes Doomed Oasis ii. iii. 145 I couldn't exactly say it in my report of the search. It would have put the Company on the spot, if you see what I mean.

2003 T. Richards & E. Blehm P3 175 Someone tried to put him on the spot by asking what the ‘X’ stood for.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	on the spot
释义	on the spotadv.adj. Brit. /ˌɒn ðə ˈspɒt/, U.S. /ˌɔn ðə ˈspɑt/, /ˌɑn ðə ˈspɑt/ Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: on prep., the adj., spot n.¹ Etymology: < on prep. + the adj. + spot n.¹ A. adv. 1. Then and there, straight away, at once.Often the sense ‘at that very location’ is also present to some degree, and so this use may overlap with sense A. 2. ΚΠ 1647 G. Tooke Belides 36 Saint Severin the souldier, does..bide Victorious on the spot. 1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. ii. sig. Zz3^v/2 To die on the spot, mourir sur la place. 1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 40 ⁋10 In which Engagement there were Eighteen Hundred Men kill'd on the Spot. 1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 11 I shall..run mad on the very spot for joy. 1835 I. Taylor Spiritual Despotism iii. 94 Punishing the refractory either on the spot or in the persons of their posterity. 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate iii I invited them both on the spot to afternoon tea on Saturday. 1910 H. H. Richardson Getting of Wisdom i. 6 The younger children were to be quelled by a threat that she would faint on the spot, if they did not do as she wished. 1981 T. C. Boyle Water Music (1983) i. 29 Get up on your feet and double-time it back to that tent before they shoot you dead on the spot. 2014 Guardian 28 July 21/2 The ‘lab on a chip’ uses organic semiconductors and sensors..to test DNA samples on the spot. 2. At the very place or locality in question; at the scene of the event. ΚΠ 1668 H. More Divine Dialogues ii. xxi. 302 I should be in so high a rage against the Villain, if I were on the spot, that I should scarce have the discretion how to deliberate to punish him so exquisitely as he deserved. 1756 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 572/2 The Holy Well [at Malvern] drank on the spot leaves a pertness in the throat approaching the taste of brass or allum. 1796 J. B. Bordley Sketches on Rotations of Crops (new ed.) All the building materials are to be on the spot, ready to be put up as soon as the pit is dug, lest rain damage the pit before the house can be covered. 1811 Gen. Regulations & Orders Army 80 Officers who may be ordered..to return Home from a Foreign Station, are to apply for a Passage to the principal Agent of the Transport Board, on the Spot. 1881 L. B. Walford Dick Netherby xxii Mischief was brewing..and he ought to be on the spot to counteract it. 1948 Spectator 31 Dec. 861/2 I studied the matter on the spot, in the United States. 1971 Country Life 10 June 1444/3 I was fortunate in being on the spot to take this photograph when the Quarter Jack was brought down..for repairs. 2006 Guardian 31 July 13/1 The catch will be salted on the spot and brought back to Lewis in barrels. 3. Stock Market. As traded immediately; at immediate cash rates. Cf. on spot at spot n.¹ and adv. Phrases 1c(a). Now rare. ΚΠ 1805 Commerc. Secretary 144 Potashes, on the spot, R 32; on contract, R 31. 1880 Statist 1 May 195/1 Market dull; New St. Petersburgh Yellow Candle offers at 42s. 6d. per cwt, and Old at 42s on the spot. 1917 Drug & Chem. Markets 19 Sept. 20/2 The Hayti grade of sticks is quoted as high as $46 a ton on the spot. 2003 Daily Tel. 23 Dec. 24/4 The inquiry centres on the exchange's aluminium market, where the metal is bought either on the spot or three months in advance. 4. a. Cricket. With reference to bowling: to or on the desired place on the pitch. With reference to a bowler: consistently landing the ball at the desired place on the pitch. Cf. spot n.¹ 14c(a). ΚΠ 1854 Bell's Life in London 7 May 6/4 He was bowled by a ‘breaker’ from Wisden, who..was wonderfully on the spot. 1854 Bell's Life in London 8 Oct. 6/1 The bowling was reremarkably [sic] straight, but perhaps not quite so much ‘on the spot’ as is generally the case. 1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 247/1 To bowl ‘on the spot’ is to bowl a good ‘length’. 1958 Times 31 May 11/3 Shepherd, with his long loping stride, dropped his off-cutters on the spot. 2015 Free Press Leader (Austral.) (Nexis) 11 Feb. 19 Nine of the 10 wickets taken..were bowled, a sure sign that bowlers are right on the spot. b. More generally: completely accurate, exactly right, perfect; = spot on adj. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > [adverb] > exactly so, just rightOE evenOE alrightOE allOE evenlya1375 preciselyc1443 very1530 meet1543 on the spot1884 (right) on the button1925 spot on2009 1884 I. Bligh in James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Ann. i. ii. 6 Our ground fielding was, as usual, well on the spot. 1940 Postville (Iowa) Herald 24 Apr. 4/3 Loma Leads is right on the spot with this type of dress. 2006 in E. Gutstein Reading & Writing World with Math. iii. 49 What Marisol said on Friday was right on the spot. c. Of a person: quick-witted, alert, sharp. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [adjective] sharpc888 yepec1000 spacka1200 yare-witelc1275 fellc1300 yap13.. seeinga1382 far-castinga1387 sightya1400 perceivinga1425 snellc1425 politic?a1439 quickc1449 pregnant?a1475 pert1484 quick-wittedc1525 apt1535 intelligentc1540 queemc1540 ready-witted1576 political1577 of (a) great, deep, etc., reach1579 conceited1583 perspicuous1584 sharp-witteda1586 shrewd1589 inseeing1590 conceived1596 acute1598 pregnate1598 agile1599 nimble-headed1601 insighted1602 nimble1604 nimble-witted1604 penetrant1605 penetrating1606 spraga1616 acuminous1619 discoursing1625 smart1639 penetrativea1641 sagacious1650 nasute1653 acuminate1654 blunt-sharpa1661 long-headed1665 smoky1688 rapid1693 keen1704 gash1706 snack1710 cute1731 mobile1778 wide awake1785 acuminated1786 quick-minded1789 kicky1790 snap1790 downy1803 snacky1806 unbaffleable1827 varmint1829 needle-sharp1836 nimble-brained1836 incisivea1850 spry1849 fast1850 snappy1871 hard-boiled1884 on the spot1903 1903 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang VI. ii. 323/1 Palm and be always on the spot. 1910 E. M. Forster Howards End xxiv. 153 I say! Howards End—Howards Ended!.. I'm rather on the spot this evening, eh! 1962 N. Streatfeild Apple Bough i. 22 He was..far less on the spot than Myra, in fact he was probably as vague as his parents. 2003 Advertiser (Nexis) 6 Dec. (Mag. section) w4 Iranian girl is young, bright and on-the-spot. 5. With a verb of motion, as to run on the spot: without moving from one's original position; = in place at place n.¹ Phrases 2a(a). ΚΠ 1905 E. A. Roberts Handbk. Free-standing Gymnastics ii. iv. 122 Such movements as preparation-for-jump, jump-on-the-spot, curtsey-sitting, and other balances. 1907 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 2 Feb. 202/2 You can run ‘on the spot’..and ‘work up a sweat’ in this way that will satisfy any trainer. 1988 P. Wetton Physical Educ. in Nursery & Infant School iii. 37 ‘Hop on the spot’, then ‘jump on the spot’, ‘turn around’ and finally, ‘jog on the spot’. 2008 Guardian 10 May (Weekend Suppl.) 23/2 ‘Back illusions’ (a manoeuvre that involves flipping backwards on the spot). 6. a. U.S. Criminals' slang. In the situation of being targeted for murder. Now rare.Recorded earliest in to put on the spot at Phrases 2a. ΚΠ 1927 N.Y. Times 12 Mar. 1/5 The circumstances indicated to the police that they had in gangland parlance, ‘been put on the spot’. 1929 N.Y. Times 17 Feb. 24/4 The two Gusenberg brothers, Peter and Frank, and their followers were ‘on the spot’. 1951 Sandusky (Ohio) Reg. Star-News 20 Nov. 1/4 Albert Anastasia, the reputed boss executioner of Murder, Inc., is ‘on the spot’... That's the word from underworld sources. b. In a difficult or awkward situation; facing a difficult decision or question; under pressure.Recorded earliest in to put on the spot at Phrases 2c. ΚΠ 1929 Amer. Speech 4 343 Put-on-the-spot, left waiting at an appointed meeting place. 1932 N.Y. Amsterdam News 11 May 8/2 Honolulu and Scottsboro—these two cities are now on the spot. 1960 C. A. Lockwood & H. C. Adamson Trag. at Honda xiii. 205 Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby..was on the spot... In his opinion, the honor and the prestige of the Navy were at stake. 2002 Financial Times 20 Feb. 8/3 Three years after winning international praise for wrestling with Germany's spiralling state debts and trying to balance the budget, Hans Eichel is on the spot again. B. adj. Usually hyphenated. Occurring, made, delivered, etc., without delay or change of place; immediate. Also (of a report or account): made by a person who was present at the scene of an action or event. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > presence > [adjective] boundc1175 present1340 towarda1375 presentlya1425 assistant1485 presentiala1500 presentaneous1668 assisting1670 standing1788 on the spot1886 on-site1939 the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [adjective] > witnessing witnessing1859 on the spot1886 the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > [adjective] > instantaneous instantany1633 unmomentary1635 instantaneal1644 instantaneous1651 touch and go1682 presto1767 snappy1872 overnighta1911 durationless1919 split-second1946 on the spot1960 1886 G. M. Hopkins Further Lett. (1956) 257 Some on-the-spot account of the late riots, as witnessed by yourself or friends and informants. 1939 Public Opinion Q. 3 561 The freshness and immediacy of on-the-spot telecasting, and the documentary approach, may have a salutary effect upon the theater newsreel. 1960 Guardian 11 Apr. 8/1 The use of traffic wardens and on-the-spot fines. 1992 Metro (San Jose, Calif.) 7 May 60/1 Self-service setup with mouthwatering traditional recipes, fresh ingredients, on-the-spot prep, low-fat and lard-free dishes. 2002 Which? Feb. 14/2 The majority of shops provided written information about safety equipment but..only around half the outlets gave on-the-spot advice. Phrases P1. man on the spot n. a local official, agent, or informant of a government, company, news agency, etc., esp. in a foreign country; a person with immediate responsibility or authority; (also) a local eyewitness. ΚΠ 1746 Laws, Ordin. & Inst. Admirality Great Brit. II. x. 98 If there be no Consul, nor any other English Man on the Spot, in that case the said Goods and Effects shall be committed to the Custody of the Cadi of the said Place. 1793 Parl. Reg. 1781–96 XXXIV. 115 We shall have a man on the spot, cloathed with the character of an Ambassador, that we might be in a situation to treat with France. 1837 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 31 65 I also conversed with a man on the spot, for many years a resident here. 1897 I. Malcolm in R. S. Churchill W. S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. ii. xii. 848 I write like the ‘man on the spot’ The most inconceivable rot. 1955 G. Greene Quiet Amer. i. ii. 21 I always like to know what the man on the spot has to say. 1973 D. J. Boorstin Americans: Democratic Experience xliii. 390 By the late twentieth century the man on the spot, the viewer of the experience where it actually happened, began to feel confined and limited. 2008 C. Robbins Apples are from Kazakhstan viii. 246 These were not the first words I expected to hear from the BBC's man on the spot. P2. to put (a person) on the spot. a. U.S. Criminals' slang. To target (a person) for murder. Now rare (historical in later use). ΚΠ 1927Put on the spot [see sense A. 6a]. 1931 E. Wallace On Spot viii. 103 They never gave you a chance, Shaun. They put you on the spot, didn't they? 1961 Spectator 8 Sept. 318/2 When a rival gangster was put on the spot, the objective was making sure that he was very dead. b. colloquial (originally U.S.). To prove or establish that (a person) was present at the scene of a particular event, esp. a crime. ΚΠ 1928 Detective Fiction Weekly 11 Aug. 735/2 The banker did not dare identify us for fear that we would expose his part in the plot, but we learned that the State still had one reliable witness, who could ‘put us on the spot’. 1956 ‘E. Ferrars’ Murder moves In x. 99 I can put him on the spot at the time of the murder—right—on—the—spot! 2013 National Public Radio (transcript of radio programme) (Nexis) 8 July He can put him on the spot of some of the most violent episodes that these jurors will ever hear. c. colloquial (originally U.S.). To put (a person) into a difficult or awkward situation; to present (a person) with a difficult decision or question, esp. one that requires immediate action or response. ΚΠ 1929Put-on-the-spot [see sense A. 6b]. 1934 G. Ade Let. 24 June (1973) 184 The Democrats have put every independent voter on the spot by nominating [Sherman] Minton at the dictation of Paul McNutt. 1960 H. Innes Doomed Oasis ii. iii. 145 I couldn't exactly say it in my report of the search. It would have put the Company on the spot, if you see what I mean. 2003 T. Richards & E. Blehm P3 175 Someone tried to put him on the spot by asking what the ‘X’ stood for. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adv.adj.1647
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