nine to five

nine to five

From 9 AM to 5 PM, considered the standard office hours for most workers. Can be used as an adjective before a noun, in which case the phrase is hyphenated. I got so depressed working nine to five behind a desk that I finally sold all my belongings and moved to India to teach English. When I was in college, all I wanted was a steady nine-to-five job that would pay a decent salary.

See also: five, nine

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

nine to five

typical office hours.

See also: five, nine

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

ˌnine to ˈfive

normal office working hours: After years working nine to five in a boring job, he set off to sail round the world. ♢ She’d had a typical nine-to-five job in the civil service before she worked in the theatre.

See also: five, nine

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

nine-to-five

mod. typical in terms of working hours; structured and scheduled, starting and ending at set times. (From the expression from nine to five, normal working hours.) I really wanted a nine-to-five job until I finally got one.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.