Hang on a minute asks for a short pause, or objects mildly. Hang on a minute, I will get a pen.
The objecting sense is the sharper one, since hang on a minute can stop somebody mid-sentence. Tone alone separates the patient use from the protest.
1phrasehang on a minuteAsking for a short pause, or objecting mildly.
“Hang on a minute, that is not what he said at all.”
hang on a minute is a phrase.
Practised in Small Talk & Everyday Phrases