high noon
- noun
- /haɪ nuːn/
- Lunch will be held at high noon in the Northwest Building, and we're going to end with a reception also in the Northwest Building.
- high noon sun
- high noon tomorrow
Is it different at high noon from midnight?
- Is it different at high noon from midnight?
- You got to meet her at high noon and be like, just out talker.
- Because it's, it's pretty high noon lighting, it appears, but it doesn't, you know, it looks good.
- But I'm saying if you're going to do it that way, let's, let's throw down the high noon.
Examples
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High noon, tomorrow.
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I have an appointment with Billie Poe at high noon.
Fiction book (1991) -
It's high noon at the edge of the universe.
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You just pack a bag, bring your .45 and be ready to roll at high noon.
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They met in the street, high noon, and waited to draw.
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It's high noon in Tullamore, a tiny Australian farming town.
Academic text (2012) -
The shops stand open, and workmen continue their labors as if it were still high noon.
Blog text (22) -
We're plannin' on high noon tomorrow, if that suits you, Mr. Grimes.
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It's high noon in Gotham City, and yet there's no sun... and it's the coldest day of the year.
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The duel is set for high noon, so prepare yourself for a dramatic confrontation.
Synonyms
The middle of the day when the sun is highest, usually 12 o'clock
The middle of the day around noon
The middle of the day when the sun is highest
The middle of the day at 12:00
The middle of the day when the sun is highest
Antonyms
How Close
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is partly compositional: 'high' (peak) modifying 'noon' signals the peak/middle of the day, so a B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it refers to midday. However, the precise sense of 'exactly 12:00' and especially the cultural, confrontational sense ('a showdown') are idiomatic extensions not fully predictable from the constituents, so full transparency is lacking.
Etymology
High noon The phrase high noon comes from the clear image of the sun being high in the sky at noon, when the sun is at its highest point. Because this time is exact and very bright, stories and old western films often set a dramatic meeting or 'showdown' at high noon, so today it means the 'middle of the day' and often a tense, 'face-to-face' moment.