Just around the corner means very soon. In this sense it describes an event that is only a short time away: exams, a holiday, a wedding or a project deadline. The second meaning is literal: very close by. In British English you will often hear just round the corner. In an academic essay, is approaching is more usual.
When would you say just around the corner?
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event + is (just) around the corner; (just) round the corner (UK); just around the corner + from + place
- Exams are just around the corner, so the library is full every evening.
- With summer just around the corner, we still haven't booked our holiday.
- There's a great bakery just around the corner from my office.
What changed
First versionThe exams are on the nose, and I haven't started revising.
RevisionThe exams are just around the corner, and I haven't started revising.
On the nose does not mean soon. It means exactly, as in at six on the nose. For an event that is coming up soon, English uses just around the corner; the rest of the sentence stayed the same.
When the phrase is about a place, the meaning is literal: The bus stop is just around the corner from our flat. The subject tells you which meaning is intended: exams or summer are coming soon, while a shop or a bus stop is close by.
Your turn
Our wedding is next Saturday, so it's ___, and we still haven't chosen the music.
Show the answer
just around the corner — The wedding is next Saturday, so it is very soon: just around the corner. On the nose means exactly, as in at six on the nose, so it does not fit here.
Write about an important event that is coming up very soon for you. Give the date and say what you still haven't prepared.
My sister's wedding is just around the corner, on 14 June, and I still haven't bought a dress.
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