on the spot

Prepositional phrase

1. (idiomatic) At that very moment.
   • He liked the house, so he made an offer on the spot.
   • There are in the Armies a great many Inſtances of Gun-ſhot Wounds of the Arm near the Scapula, which require Amputation at the Shoulder; but the Apprehenſion of loſing their Patients on the Spot by the Hæmorrhage, has deterred Surgeons from undertaking it.1739, Samuel Sharp, “Of Amputation” (chapter XXXVII), in A Treatise on the Operations of Surgery, London: J. Brotherton, page 221

   Synonyms:

   right away, then and there

2. (idiomatic) Having to answer or decide without warning or preparation.
   • All the sudden questions put him on the spot and he had to think quickly.

   Synonyms:

   on the stand

3. (idiomatic) In a particular place.
   • This report comes from our man on the spot in Gaza.
   • We exercised by jumping up and down on the spot.

   Synonyms:

   in place, on location, on site, on the premises, in the room