20 March 2008
"I wouldn't give him the time of day"
... is a common expression of scorn, but what exactly does it mean? ... I used to think it meant telling someone what time it was in response to a question: if you liked the person who asked, you would oblige and if not, you would ignore him. But the expression goes far back beyond the time when people wore watches... In Shakespeare's day, the meaning was quite clear. "Good time of day" or "fair time of day" was a salutation just like "good morning" or "good evening"...We no longer greet people by saying "good time of day," but we still use the idea of giving such a greeting as a sign of favorable attention. In other words, refusing to give someone the time of day is thinking so little of him that you would not say hello to him on the street." (credit to Scribal Terror)
I always wondered wherew this expression comes from. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt actually derives from the actions of the duke of Sutherlands wife. The duke, known for the highland clearances in Scotland was such a bastard, his own wife even hated him. And the tower clock that used to have 4 faces on North, South, East and West. The duke used to set his time piece from the west facing clock from his train journey in morning. The dukes wife had that clock face removed so he could no longer do this. Hence the saying! I wouldn't give you the time of day!
ReplyDeleteThat clock tower is at Carbisdale Castle, which was built in 1906.
DeleteThe phrase "give the time of day" dates back to Shakespearean times:
"But meet him now, and, be it in the morn,
When everyone will give the time of day..."
Actually, my story is from St. Nicholas's church Galway, where the west side of the clock has no face, so the indigenous Irish, outside the old city walls, could not be afforded the right to know 'what time it was'. If you couldn't measure time then you cold work from dusk till dawn!!
ReplyDeleteIntersting addition to a very historic church is one of the original gates of Lynchs castle, keep of Judge John Lynch, who hung his own son from the gate in an example to all, that justice was served on all, giving rise to the term 'Lynch mob'.
Who knows, both good versions!
Interesting. In the US, the history of the word "lynch" is generally traced back to an 18th-century judge named Lynch -
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynch_mob