hour

*all hours (of the day and night)

Fig. very late in the night or very early in the morning. (*Typically: until ~; till ~; at ~.) Why do you always stay out until all hours of the day and night? I like to stay out till all hours.

after hours

after the regular closing time; after any normal or regular time, such as one's bedtime. John got a job sweeping floors in the library after hours.

See also: after

at the bottom of the hour

Fig. on the half hour; the opposite of at the top of the hour. (Alludes to the big hand of a clock pointing to the 6. Typically heard on television or the radio.) Hear the news headlines at the bottom of the hour. We will have an interview with Harry Kravitz at the bottom of the hour.

See also: bottom

at the eleventh hour

Fig. at the last possible moment. (Just before the last clock hour, 12) She always turned her term papers in at the eleventh hour. We don't worry about death until the eleventh hour.

See also: eleventh

at the top of the hour

Fig. at the exact beginning of an hour. (Alludes to the big hand on a clock pointing to the 12. Often heard on television or the radio. See also at the bottom of the hour.) Every class in my school starts at the top of the hour. Our next newscast will be at the top of the hour.

See also: top

banker's hours

Fig. short work hours: 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. When did you start keeping banker's hours? There aren't many bankers who keep banker's hours these days.

by the hour

at each hour; once each hour. It kept growing darker by the hour. I have to take this medicine by the hour.

darkest hour is just before the dawn and It's always darkest just before the dawn.

Prov. When things are extremely bad, it may signal that they are about to get much better. Jill: I feel like giving up. I don't have a job, my boyfriend left me, and they're raising the rent for my apartment. Jane: It's always darkest just before the dawn.

See also: before, dark, dawn, just

eleventh-hour decision

Fig. a decision made very late in a process, or at the last possible moment. Eleventh-hour decisions are seldom satisfactory. The president's eleventh-hour decision was made in a great hurry, but it turned out to be correct.

See also: decision

for hours on end

Fig. for many hours. We sat and waited in the emergency room for hours on end. The children were happy to play video games for hours on end.

See also: end

happy hour

a time to drink a cocktail, starting at about 5:00 P.M. (Often bars have lower prices during "happy hour.") I think that Mary has been starting happy hour a little early. Before noon I think.

See also: happy

keep banker's hours

Fig. to work or be open for business for less than eight hours a day. The advertising agency keeps banker's hours. They are only open until four. James doesn't really work full-time. He keeps banker's hours.

See also: keep

keep late hours

to stay up or stay out until very late at night. I'm always tired because I keep late hours. If I didn't keep late hours, I wouldn't sleep so late in the morning.

See also: keep, late

on the hour

at each hour on the hour mark. I have to take this medicine every hour on the hour. I expect to see you there on the hour, not one minute before and not one minute after.

rush hour

the period of time when heavy traffic is moving into or out of a city. This is the slowest rush hour I have ever been in. Traffic is almost in gridlock.

See also: rush

the small hours (of the night) and the wee hours (of the night)

the hours immediately after midnight. The dance went on into the small hours of the night. Jim goes to bed in the wee hours and gets up at lunchtime.

See also: small

There aren't enough hours in the day.

There are too many things to do and not enough time. I am behind in all my work. There aren't enough hours in the day! We can't handle all the problems that come our way. There aren't enough hours in the day.

See also: day, enough

until all hours

Fig. until very late. Mary is out until all hours, night after night. If I'm up until all hours two nights in a row, I'm just exhausted.

See also: until

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at all hours (of the day and night)

at any time of the day or night They keep calling me on the phone at all hours to ask questions I've already answered.

at all hours (of the night)

very late at night How do you expect me to sleep when you're playing loud music at all hours?

at the eleventh hour

almost too late Negotiators reached agreement at the eleventh hour, just in time to avoid a strike.

See also: eleventh

in somebody's hour of need

at a time when someone needs help very much I shall never forget that they were the people who helped me in my hour of need.

See also: need

The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

something that you say which means a bad situation often seems worse just before it improves There's still a chance she might recover. The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

See also: before, dark, dawn, just

the small hours

the early hours of the morning (often + of ) I was up till the small hours of Wednesday morning finishing off that report. She was born in the small hours of Saturday morning.

See the fine print, Don't sweat the small stuff, make feel small

See also: small

the witching hour

twelve o'clock at night It's time I was in bed - it's already past the witching hour.

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on the hour

at the time an hour begins Buses pull out every hour on the hour.

the bottom of the hour

30 minutes past the hour on a clock We'll have more on these stories at the bottom of the hour.

Related vocabulary: the top of the hour

See also: bottom

the top of the hour

the time when an hour begins on the clock We'll update the weather again at the top of the hour.

Related vocabulary: the bottom of the hour

See also: top