African time
- noun
- Offensive
:
[ofensivo] hora africana
- When planning events in some regions, allowing for African time can help avoid frustration.
Examples
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On African time, the meeting began well after the scheduled hour.
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She assured us not to worry because everyone arrives late when it's African time.
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It's African time!
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Don't worry; it's just African time.
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The wedding started late because everyone was running on African time.
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It's common for events to be delayed when people operate on African time.
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In our culture, we often joke about being on African time when we arrive late.
Synonyms
A relaxed way of keeping time where being late is normal
A relaxed approach to schedules where people often arrive late
A relaxed way of planning time and events common in Pacific island cultures
A relaxed way of keeping time when people often arrive late
How Punctual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'African' + 'time' transparently signal a culturally specific notion of 'time' related to Africa, so a B1 learner would guess it refers to an attitude toward time rather than a literal clock reading. However, the precise pragmatic meaning — a humorous stereotype of relaxed or flexible punctuality — depends on cultural knowledge and idiomatic usage (cf. 'island time'), so the sense is only partially predictable without exposure.
Etymology
African time comes from a simple picture: in many places people follow social rhythms or the sun instead of a strict clock, so events and meetings often start after the scheduled hour. That's why it means 'not strict about time' or a relaxed idea of 'being on time'.