{"id":2081,"date":"2022-03-04T17:35:59","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T17:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2081"},"modified":"2022-03-04T17:35:59","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T17:35:59","slug":"in-the-meantime-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/in-the-meantime-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Meantime \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Was a friend telling you a story and segued from it with \u201cin the meantime\u2026?\u201d<\/em> This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The meaning of the expression, \u201cin the meantime<\/em>,\u201d is a way of telling people the results of events occurring simultaneously to other important events, usually in your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, you could be telling someone a story about what happened at work and use \u201cin the meantime<\/em>\u201d to segue into another story that was going on at the same time as the original story. The transition between stories is seamless, and they usually have a relationship with one another.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cJohn and I were having a great time skiing the run. In the meantime, the kids were bundled up back in the cabin complaining about the cold. They didn\u2019t enjoy their first snow experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at work trying to undo the damage from the hack. In the meantime, everyone else on the team was at home sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were at the homeless shelter feeding people. In the meantime, these criminals were breaking into the church next door to steal the artifacts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were on our way to California on a Delta flight. In the meantime, Kim and Joe were driving to the west coast from Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear what you\u2019re saying. In the meantime, we should just sit back and wait till they show up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

No one knows the origin of the phrase \u201cin the meantime<\/em>.\u201d However, some language experts think the saying was in use as early as the 1400s. The expression \u201cin the mean,\u201d \u201cmeantime,\u201d and \u201cmeanwhile\u201d come from the meaning of a mathematical average, and some also think that it comes from a relationship to \u201cGreenwich meantime<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original meaning of these words is to \u201ctake the middle or to branch off<\/em>.\u201d The word \u201cintermediate<\/em>\u201d may also play a role in developing the expression \u201cin the meantime.\u201d Intermediate in time means the coming together or occurring between two points in time or the intervention of two events.<\/p>\n

The origin of the mathematical use of \u201cmeaning<\/em>\u201d also comes from the source of the \u201cmiddle meaning<\/em>.\u201d However, it expands into the meaning of average or moderate.<\/p>\n

Phrases Similar to In the Meantime<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • While that was going on.<\/li>\n
  • At the same time.<\/li>\n
  • Simultaneously.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Phrases Opposite to In the Meantime<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Last week.<\/li>\n
    • The week ahead.<\/li>\n
    • Right now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • In the meantime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Ways People May Say In the Meantime Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

        Using the term to describe Greenwich meantime is the incorrect use of the expression. While Greenwich meantime (GMT) does influence the origin of the phrase, it is not suitable for use in the modern version of the term.<\/p>\n

        The phrase suits explaining that something else important in your life experience was occurring at the same time you were doing something else. Using the phrase to describe any other past or future life event is incorrect.<\/p>\n

        Acceptable Ways to Phrase In the Meantime<\/h2>\n

        You can use the phrase \u201cin the meantime<\/em>\u201d as a segue into another story to add to the conversation. For instance, if you\u2019re telling your friends a story about your ski trip, you could use \u201cin the meantime<\/em>\u201d to describe what was going on simultaneously back at home as burglars were robbing your house.<\/p>\n

        It\u2019s a way of telling someone that another more or less important event was occurring at the same time while you were doing something else. That event could have a negative or positive outcome. For instance, your house could be getting robbed, or your fianc\u00e9 could buy a winning lottery ticket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Was a friend telling you a story and segued from it with \u201cin the meantime\u2026?\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The meaning of the expression, \u201cin the meantime,\u201d is a way of telling people the results of events occurring simultaneously to other important events, usually in your life. For […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2081"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2333,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081\/revisions\/2333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}