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https://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=Labr4t

Here is the use of "have a moment" natural?( apart from its other meanings)?

The phrase 'Having a moment' should be used whenever a conversation between yourself and someone else is interrupted, either verbally or through the unwanted presence of someone.

Does not necessarily mean the you are actually having a moment. Boy and Girl are having a discussion about motorized seesaws at a party, Random Guy appears near them, attempting to interject the conversation.

Girl: "Uh sorry, we're having a moment right now" Boy: nods Random Guy: "Oh, uh, sorry" Exeunt

Source: The Urban Dictionary.


And is this use common in AmE:

to not be acting normally for a short time, for example because you are not thinking about what you are doing, or because you are feeling a

Source: The Cambridge Dictionary.

The Dictionary says it's a British phrase, so is it used in AmE as well?

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In contemporary, informal American English, if two people are having a moment, they are sharing an intimate experience.

Here's an example from the American sitcom Just Shoot Me

Dennis Finch : You shot the cover of Rolling Stone? Wow, man. I'm impressed.

Elliot DiMauro : Thanks. Coming from you, that means a lot.

Dennis Finch : Wait a minute. Are you being sarcastic?

Elliot DiMauro : No. Are you?

Dennis Finch : No. You?

Elliot DiMauro : I'll tell you what. We'll both answer together on the count of three. Ready? One, two, three.

Elliot DiMauro , Dennis Finch : Nnnnnoooooyyyeeeeesssss... No!

Elliot DiMauro : I think we just had a moment.

Dennis Finch : No, we didn't because I was messing with you. Hey, everyone! Elliot thought we had a moment!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0617867/characters/nm0170186

If two people are having a deep, personal conversation, they might be having a moment. The Urban Dictionary "definition" is a joke (like a lot of what's in Urban Dictionary, which is why you should not take anything posted on that site as authoritative). The joke is, having a conversation about seesaws is not having a moment - it's not an intimate conversation - and so making this untrue statement may be humorous.

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  • And what about the other meaning? Is it common in AE?( one about feeling down) Commented Apr 16, 2019 at 16:29
  • So is the second meaning (under the heading of "The Cambridge Dictionary " common? Commented Apr 17, 2019 at 12:01
  • @It'saboutEnglish, I've never heard the phrase used that way.
    – Juhasz
    Commented Apr 17, 2019 at 13:05
  • @its-about-english - yes, what you copy-pasted looks like it got cut off, but this is another common meaning. E.g. A & B are talking and all of a sudden A starts crying. B: Are you ok? A: Yeah, I’m just having a moment.
    – Mixolydian
    Commented Apr 17, 2019 at 14:55

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