as soon as
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When, just after, as in Please call me as soon as dinner is ready, or As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature drops dramatically. [Late 1200s]
At the earliest moment that, as in Telephone me as soon as you can. It often takes the form as soon as possible, meaning at the earliest possible moment, as in He'll finish the work as soon as possible. This expression employs possible in the sense of “if it can or could be,” a usage dating from the late 1600s.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Words nearby as soon as
associative storage, assoil, assoluta, assonance, as soon, as soon as, assort, assortative mating, assorted, assortment, ASSR
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.