What's the difference between those two? I've tried to ask Google but got very mixed results — some people say it's the same, some that one of them is illegal and the rest offer other explanation, for example "on" means immediately, without any time for preparation and "at" with some time for preparation.. what's the truth?
Learn English – “On short notice” vs “At short notice”
phrasesprepositionsword-choice
Related Topic
- Learn English – “Translated in” vs. “translated to”
- Learn English – ‘Meeting us’ or ‘meeting with us’
- Learn English – “Comportment” vs. “deportment”
- Learn English – Is “offer something someone” without “to” in between correct
- Learn English – make someone do vs. get someone doing/to do
- Learn English – You need rest vs You need a rest
Best Answer
I have heard both, and probably use both myself undistinguishly. My usual sources conflict on that one, actually. The New Oxford American Dictionary, which is, well, American, says:
On the other hand, Merriam-Webster’s says
The Corpus of Contemporary American English agrees with the latter, as it gives 33 hits for “at short notice” against 187 hits for “on short notice”. Google ngrams gives the same picture, but slightly less contrasted: