Learn English – “In the same day” vs. “on the same day”

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What is the difference in meaning between on the same day and in the same day. I thought that on the same day was the only one correct, but in the sixth episode of the eighth season of Friends Phoebe said in the same day. Here is the context:

Phoebe: He is sweet. He’s too sweet. He calls me all the time.
(Mimicking him) "So did-did you get home from work okay?" "Did-did you
get out of the shower okay?"

Monica: Just don’t pick up your phone.

Phoebe: Then he comes over! (Mimicking him) "I’m so worried about
you." Uck! Be a man!

Monica: What? So now I’m not allowed to fire him?

Phoebe: You can’t fire him and dump him in the same day, he’ll kill
himself.

Here is the video. It's at 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Best Answer

It depends if you are speaking about a "day" as a calendar date or a time period.

We always say "on" a particular date or weekday, for example:

it happens on Mondays
It's on the 4th of July

When we are speaking about a time period, we use "in" or "within", for example:

it happened twice in 24 hours
it happened twice within an hour

A "day" isn't necessarily a calendar date from midnight-midnight. It can be any 24-hour period. It can also refer to specific periods of time that are less than 24 hours, for example a working day may be just the hours you spend working.

In the example you give it might be that it refers to two incidents on the same calendar date, but the point of the statement is to express shock that the two things would happen so close together, within the confines of 24 hours. In this case, either "in" or "on" work fine.

As an example, if someone said "I once ate 12 burgers in a day", what is remarkable about that statement is that they ate the burgers in a 24-hour time period, not that they may have all been consumed on the same calendar date.

Related Solutions

Learn English – “much of the same” vs “much the same”

Just passing, so this is more of an opinion than a fully researched answer. But, with that caveat, while they clearly are used almost interchangeably, there are cases where one is much better fit that the other.

To me, 'much of the same' often implies a specific condition (I usually feel that it should be followed by something - 'much of the same xxxx') whereas 'much the same' tends to be looser or more generalised.

Q: How do you feel?
A: Much the same

Q: What programs are the ABC putting out this season?
A: Much of the same

Rightly or wrongly (largely out of tradition I suppose) I often turn to the BBC for things like this. A quick search finds:

...although they use much of the same data
...does contain much of the same material
The second half followed much of the same pattern

Against:

The Earth's atmosphere has remained much the same for the past 200 million years. 
...they all look pretty much the same
...and the picture was much the same in Wales

Learn English – difference between “in the day” and “during the day”

Later in the day is more idiomatic there.

I will put this sandwich aside and eat it later in the day.

The implication is that I will eat this sandwich later in one sitting.

I will put this sandwich aside and eat it later during the day.

The implication is that I will take a bite or two from this sandwich starting later on and maybe a few more bites again even later.

Later in the day (month, year, season, whatever) refers to a time that falls within the span of the day, whereas during the day refers to a time-span that falls with that span, or to several times falling within that span.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Learn English – “much of the same” vs “much the same”

Learn English – difference between “in the day” and “during the day”

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