Samoan time
- noun
- Australian
:
hora samoana
- People here seem to operate on Samoan time, so meetings often start late.
Examples
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She apologized for being late, blaming it on Samoan time.
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When you travel to the islands, you quickly learn what Samoan time really means.
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We are on Samoan time today.
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Don't worry, it's just Samoan time!
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People here seem to operate on Samoan time, so meetings often start late.
-
She apologized for being late, blaming it on Samoan time.
-
When you travel to the islands, you quickly learn what Samoan time really means.
Synonyms
A joking way to say people often arrive later than planned in Samoa
A relaxed way of planning time and events common in Pacific island cultures
A relaxed way of dealing with time in Hawaii where events often start later than planned
A relaxed way of managing time in Fiji where being late is not a problem
A relaxed way of keeping time where being late is normal
A relaxed view of time in Puerto Rico where events often start later than planned
A relaxed approach to schedules where people often arrive late
A relaxed way of keeping time when people often arrive later than planned
How Punctual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'Samoan' (relating to Samoa) with 'time', so a learner could infer it refers to a culturally specific way of keeping time. However, the specific sense 'a relaxed or non‑punctual approach' depends on sociocultural knowledge and is not directly predictable from the constituent words alone, so the meaning is only partially recoverable.
Etymology
Samoan time comes from life on the islands: Samoan people often set the time by events like meals, church or the sun, not by exact minutes, so meetings and gatherings often begin when people are ready. So Samoan time means being 'relaxed about time' or 'often late'.