#mononomono

[chouhatsumimi]

ものの

I knew ものの could mean “but” at the end of a phrase, but I just learned it can also mean “only ..., no more than ..., a matter of”!

This example sentence is from Yoru Cafe volume 2: 「シチューのＣＭみたいな、いい食べっぷりで、ものの五分もたたないうちに、お皿が空になった。」 I’d translate it as “He really dug into it, like he was in a stew commercial. Within five minutes, his plate was completely empty.”