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Glite Dictionary
oh dark thirty

oh dark thirty

9.9
A very early time in the morning before dawn that people say as a joke
  • noun
  • /oʊ dɑrk ˈθɜrti/
  • Jargon
translation icon : a horas intempestivas
  • Training started at oh dark thirty, long before the sun was up.

Examples

  • We had to catch our flight at oh dark thirty this morning, so I barely got any sleep.

  • She arrived at the airport at oh dark thirty to avoid traffic.

  • We woke up at oh dark thirty to prepare for the mission.

  • The troops started their day at oh dark thirty.

  • The troops were ready to leave at oh dark thirty, long before the sun came up.

  • The alarm went off at oh dark thirty, forcing me to wake up before dawn.

  • Being on duty at oh dark thirty is common for soldiers preparing for early missions.

Synonyms

early-morning hour
vsoh dark thirty
14 2.6

A time early in the morning just after dawn

is a joking label for a much earlier time often before dawn
oh dark hundred
vsoh dark thirty
  • Informal
9.9

A funny way to say a very early time before dawn

is a similar humorous term that usually implies around half past midnight

Surface Forms

oh dark thirty singular

Morphology

oh + dark + thirty

The components 'dark' (suggesting nighttime/dim light) and 'thirty' (a time marker) give a clue that the phrase refers to a time in the night or very early morning, so a learner who knows the words could infer a vague meaning like 'an early, dark time.' However, the fixed humorous/military idiom 'oh dark thirty' and the exact pragmatic sense (very early pre-dawn hour, often unspecified) are conventional and not fully predictable from the parts, so full comprehension requires exposure.

Etymology

Oh dark thirty comes from military talk. Soldiers used oh for zero and spoke of a time like thirty while it was still dark, so the phrase paints the picture of being up before dawn and now means 'a very early time in the morning'.