dead of

dead of night

The middle of the night. Why are you calling me in the dead of night? Can't this wait till morning? A: "What are you doing walking through the woods in the dead of night?" B: "I could ask you the same question, sir!" Don't worry, if the baby ends up being born in the dead of night, I'll call you first thing in the morning.

See also: dead, night, of

dead of winter

The middle of winter, which is usually especially cold. I find myself dreaming of tropical islands every year in the dead of winter. Yeah, hiking in the dead of winter does not appeal to me in any way. I'd much rather be cozy in front of the fireplace! Why would anyone travel to Alaska in the dead of winter?

See also: dead, of, winter

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dead of

The period of greatest intensity of something, such as darkness or cold. For example, I love looking at seed catalogs in the dead of winter, when it's below zero outside. The earliest recorded use of dead of night, for "darkest time of night," was in Edward Hall's Chronicle of 1548: "In the dead of the night ... he broke up his camp and fled." Dead of winter, for the coldest part of winter, dates from the early 1600s.

See also: dead, of

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.