impromptu
done without planning
TRANSLATION
impromptu = aus dem Stegreif --- GOOGLE INDEX impromptu: approximately 13,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
In April this year, passengers on a delayed Amtrak train from New York City to Washington DC were treated to an IMPROMPTU wine-tasting when a winemaker en route to a conference decided to share his wares with fellow passengers.
(BBC News)
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Obama Favors Interviews Over IMPROMPTU Questions and Answers
(New York Times)
(BBC News)
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Obama Favors Interviews Over IMPROMPTU Questions and Answers
(New York Times)
Did you
know?
impromptu
adjective
- will little or no preparation
(American Heritage Dictionary)
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Impromptu stems from the Latin phrase "in promptu" (in readiness) by way of the French impromptu. The Latin promptu is also the root of the English adjective prompt, meaning on time or done without delay. Prompt is found in the trademark name Teleprompter, a device employed in television to show an actor or a speaker an enlarged line-by-line reproduction of a script, unseen by the audience. The Teleprompter is thus something well suited to people who shy away from impromptu speeches.
Impromptu can be used as an adjective, adverb or noun. The adjective form describes a situation "prompted" by the occasion rather than being planned in advance, like an impromptu celebration on the streets. It also means to speak, perform or compose with little or no preparation (impromptu remarks).
The noun refers to something, such as a speech, that is made or done at the spur of the moment. In music, an impromptu is a short composition, especially for the piano, performed in an offhand or extemporized style.
Two of the English language’s wittiest characters during the last century had something to say about impromptu:
- It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. (Mark Twain)
- I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks. (Winston Churchill)
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SYNONYMS
offhand, spontaneous, unscripted, ad-lib, extemporaneous, improvised, off the cuff, shot from the hip, unprepared, winged
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Impromptu speeches are usually more entertaining than talking from a sheet of paper."
adjective
- will little or no preparation
(American Heritage Dictionary)
---
Impromptu stems from the Latin phrase "in promptu" (in readiness) by way of the French impromptu. The Latin promptu is also the root of the English adjective prompt, meaning on time or done without delay. Prompt is found in the trademark name Teleprompter, a device employed in television to show an actor or a speaker an enlarged line-by-line reproduction of a script, unseen by the audience. The Teleprompter is thus something well suited to people who shy away from impromptu speeches.
Impromptu can be used as an adjective, adverb or noun. The adjective form describes a situation "prompted" by the occasion rather than being planned in advance, like an impromptu celebration on the streets. It also means to speak, perform or compose with little or no preparation (impromptu remarks).
The noun refers to something, such as a speech, that is made or done at the spur of the moment. In music, an impromptu is a short composition, especially for the piano, performed in an offhand or extemporized style.
Two of the English language’s wittiest characters during the last century had something to say about impromptu:
- It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. (Mark Twain)
- I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks. (Winston Churchill)
---
SYNONYMS
offhand, spontaneous, unscripted, ad-lib, extemporaneous, improvised, off the cuff, shot from the hip, unprepared, winged
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Impromptu speeches are usually more entertaining than talking from a sheet of paper."
