Teacher Discussion Forums

Maybe I am loosing it but my Chinese uni students often use an expression like "in a word, I want to become the best person I can be". I always thought...that when you use the expression "in a word" you should follow it up with a one word summary, like "in a word, the performance was fabulous". Am I right?

Student: Can I use "in a word" to lead into a phrase like "I want to become the best person I can be"?

Foreign Teacher: In a word, no!

In a word, you are great!!!

in a word
said when you are going to give your opinion about something quickly and directly
In a word, she's lying.

dictionary.cambridge.org



It's an idiomatic expression. For example, when someone says "just a moment/minute" we don't count down the seconds until exactly a minute is up (and how do you even count a 'moment'). To me, 'in a word' is more about that directness than about the number of words I use. I can definitely picture myself saying something like, "In a word, I just don't feel like going".

Surely there is a discernible difference between what is more or less a one-word message (and could be stressed as such - see the word in bold in each of the sentences in the first set), and longer phrases (see the italicized parts of the second set of sentences).

In a word, no!
In a word, she's lying.
In a word, you are great!
In a word, the performance was fabulous.

In a word, I just don't feel like going.
In a word, I want to become the best person I can be.

I wonder if languages that don't need to express grammatical subjects, auxiliaries etc as much have a phrase similar to 'In a word'.