buy straw hats in winter

Especially of stocks, to buy when both demand and cost are low so that one may then sell when demand and price are high. A phrase attributed to Russell Sage, a 19th-century American investor and financier. Primarily heard in US. I made a fortune buying shares in the startup company before smartphone technology became ubiquitous—I bought straw hats in winter, and now they're worth a fortune! My grandfather made a fortune in the stock market living by the adage "buy straw hats in winter." A: "Come on, buy low, sell high—that's stock trading 101." B: "Well, of course. I know to buy straw hats in winter."

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.

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?

in the dead of winter

In or during the middle of winter, especially at its coldest, darkest period. 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?

Old Man Winter

A personification of cold winter weather. Old Man Winter is brutal today, so you better bundle up. The meteorologists say that Old Man Winter has a lot of snow in store for us this year.

summer and winter

To monitor one's behavior or abilities for a sufficiently long period of time. Oh yes, I will summer and winter him during this probationary period, to determine if we should hire him full-time.

winter blues

A period of depression, melancholy, or unhappiness experienced during the dark, cold months of winter. A: "Are you OK? You've seemed really down lately." B: "Yeah, I just can't seem to shake these winter blues." I always get the winter blues really bad, so I usually spend the season in my parents' house in Florida.

winter is coming

An ominous warning about future danger or trouble. Now that there's talk of layoffs, employees are really worried that winter is coming.

winter on (something)

1. To rely on something as a primary source of nutrition during the winter months. With so many trees having been cut down due to the beetle infestation, the various animals that winter on them will face the very real danger of dying out. There is nothing for the birds to winter on here, so they have begun migrating south to warmer climates.

2. To feed something to some kind of animal as a primary source of nutrition during the winter months. We'll have to winter the pigs on our scraps as there has been a shortage of proper pig feed the whole fall.

winter over

1. To survive, endure, or tolerate the winter climate. Come spring, all the various bugs and critters that have been wintering over in the soil start to emerge into the warm sunshine. Some warm-blooded animals, such as bears, winter over by putting on a huge amount of weight and hibernating the whole time.

2. To pass or endure the winter months in or at some other location. My parents summer in New Hampshire and winter over in Florida. My whole family is planning to winter over at the cabin this year.

winter rat

A beat-up car that one does not mind driving in harsh winter weather. Primarily heard in US. A: "You don't take your Corvette out in the snow, do you?" B: "Of course not, that's what my winter rat is for!"

winter over (some place)

to spend the winter at some place. The bears all winter over in their dens. All the animals are getting ready either to migrate or to winter over. My parents winter over in Florida.

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.

the dead of winter

the coldest part of winter.

The sense of dead here and in the previous idiom developed in the 16th century from dead time of —, meaning the period most characterized by lack of signs of life or activity.

winter on

1. To feed on something during winter: The deer winter on tree bark.

2. To feed some animal something during the winter: We wintered the cows on cornstalks.

winter over

To spend, endure, or survive a winter: The scientist wintered over at the South Pole. My plant has wintered over successfully for three years.

dead of night/winter, the

The time of most intense stillness, darkness, or cold. This usage dates from the sixteenth century. Shakespeare had it in Twelfth Night (1.5), “Even in the dead of night,” and Washington Irving used the alternate phrase in Salmagundi (1807–08), “In the dead of winter, when nature is without charm.”