1.
instant, spur of the moment, split second
A very brief moment requiring an immediate, instinctive response. Almost always used in the pattern 咄嗟に or 咄嗟の.
咄嗟に身をかわした。
I dodged instinctively.
咄嗟のことで言葉が出なかった。
It happened so suddenly that I couldn't find the words.
咄嗟に嘘をついてしまったことを後悔している。
I regret having told a lie on the spur of the moment.
咄嗟 is almost exclusively used in two patterns: 咄嗟に (adverbially) and 咄嗟の (as a modifier). It is rarely used on its own.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 咄嗟に + verb: instinctively, reflexively
- 咄嗟の判断: snap judgment
- 咄嗟の出来事: sudden occurrence
- 咄嗟のことで〜: it happened so suddenly that ~
USAGE: Implies that the reaction was instinctive rather than deliberate. The kanji 咄嗟 are rarely written; the hiragana form とっさ is common.