# Asymmetric usage of "long" and "short" in time expressions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asymmetric-usage-of-long-and-short-in-time-expressions/988318>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 9, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asymmetric-usage-of-long-and-short-in-time-expressions/988318 "2023-08-09T15:20:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asymmetric-usage-of-long-and-short-in-time-expressions/988318/21 "2023-08-13T20:45:51Z")

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> [@Pasta](#):
>
> But – do people really say “Oh, great, we’re long on blueberries, so let’s make pancakes today”? Only to be cute, right, or as part of a microculture’s argot?

I’ve heard people say ‘long on X’ probably most as a pairing with ‘short on Y’ - ie. ‘We’re short on money but long on time’ or some such - often where the surplus of the thing you’re ‘long’ on can compensate for the scarcity of the thing you’re ‘short’ on. It came up in project management a bit; usually the commodities were money, time, skills, materials, labour etc

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asymmetric-usage-of-long-and-short-in-time-expressions/988318/22 "2023-08-16T03:21:40Z")

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idioms and expressions are of course assymetrical by nature.

There would be many possible ways to say something, but only some of them are the common expression.

We have lots time, we have little time. we have little of time, we have lots of time. There really isn’t any reason for one or the other…

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asymmetric-usage-of-long-and-short-in-time-expressions/988318/23 "2023-08-16T04:05:44Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> > [@Pasta](#):
> >
> > But – do people really say “Oh, great, we’re long on blueberries, so let’s make pancakes today”? Only to be cute, right, or as part of a microculture’s argot?
> 
> I’ve heard people say ‘long on X’ probably most as a pairing with ‘short on Y’ - ie. ‘We’re short on money but long on time’ or some such - often where the surplus of the thing you’re ‘long’ on can compensate for the scarcity of the thing you’re ‘short’ on. It came up in project management a bit; usually the commodities were money, time, skills, materials, labour etc

Financiers certainly talk about going long or short on various assets.

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