black day
1
6.6
- noun
:
día negro
- Julian Fellowes, the creator and writer behind the show, told TODAY.com that if she leaves, "it will be a black day."
Examples
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What a black day
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After the storm destroyed their home, it became a black day for the family, leaving them devastated.
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Ah, it was a black day for Israel.
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A black day for us all!
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This is a black day for the navy!
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A black day for Maine.
Blog text (15) -
I'm telling you, mates, it's a black day.
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And a black, black day for law enforcement when the best thing you can do is to pray for an informer!
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What a black day
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Well, gentlemen, it's a black day for banking when five men walk in off the street and just calmly scoop up--
Synonyms
915
3.0
A very sad event that causes much suffering and loss
5
8.6
A day when many things go wrong and you feel unhappy
A day when many bad things happen
A day when many things go wrong and you feel frustrated
Antonyms
How Bad
1
6.6
126
3.5
367
3.4
134
3.1
- NSFW
5
8.6
842
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning refers to a specific South Korean cultural observance (singles eating jajangmyeon on April 14) that cannot be deduced from the literal words 'black' and 'day'. A B1 learner who knows the constituents would not predict the singles' ritual or the noodle dish; the sense is culturally specific and therefore not compositional.
Etymology
Black day comes from the old habit of calling a day 'black' when very bad things happened, because the color black was linked with mourning and danger. That's why the phrase means 'a day of great misfortune or sorrow'.