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Glite Dictionary
that time of the month

that time of the month

9 6.8
The time when a woman has her monthly period
  • noun
  • /ðæt taɪm əv ðə mʌnθ/
  • Informal
translation icon : esa época del mes
  • She said she might be more emotional because it's that time of the month.
  • That time of the month, huh
  • that time of the month again
  • especially at that time of the month

I just thought that's more kind of my vibe these days and I am very chill and mellow today because it is that time of the month.

Examples

Synonyms

period
vsthat time of the month
144 3.5

Monthly bleeding from the womb in women between puberty and menopause

refers to the time when this discharge occurs rather than naming the event
menstruation
vsthat time of the month
11 4.1

Monthly bleeding from the womb that happens in women after puberty

refers to the time when this biological flow happens rather than naming it
Aunt Flo
vsthat time of the month
  • Informal
1 9.9

A woman's monthly period

refers to the time in an indirect, everyday way rather than medical language
menses
vsthat time of the month
  • Specialized
6.8

Monthly bleeding from the womb that happens in women who can have children

refers to when this discharge happens instead of using the specific term
menorrhea
vsthat time of the month
  • Specialized
7.2

Monthly flow of blood from a woman's uterus during the years when she can have children

refers to the time when this normal monthly flow takes place rather than naming it
menstruum
vsthat time of the month
  • Archaic
9.9

A monthly flow of blood from a woman's womb

refers to the time when this discharge happens instead of using that name
menstrual phase
vsthat time of the month
  • Specialized
4.6

The body sheds the lining of the womb and bleeding happens

refers to the time rather than the technical stage of the cycle

Surface Forms

that time of the month singular
that times of the month plural

Morphology

that + time + of + the + month

The phrase literally signals a recurring monthly time (time + month), so learners could infer a recurring event, but the specific reference to a woman’s menstrual period is a conventional, euphemistic use that is culturally based and not strictly derivable from the constituents. Because the mapping from 'that time of the month' to menstruation requires pragmatic/cultural knowledge rather than purely compositional meaning, it is partially transparent but not fully predictable to a B1 learner who only knows the individual words.

Etymology

That time of the month comes from the fact that many women have a regular, monthly cycle; the words time and month give a simple picture of a repeating monthly event, so the phrase is a polite way to say 'she has her period'.