blind man's holiday
Definition
- Noun (only):
- Twilight; dusk; the time of day when it is too dark to work but not yet dark enough to light lamps. This is the primary meaning, referring to the ambiguous period of fading daylight.
- Figuratively: A period of inactivity or uncertainty, especially when one cannot see clearly or make progress.
Usage Examples
- (It is dusk, too dark to continue working outdoors.)
- (The time between daylight and artificial lighting.)
- (A metaphorical state of uncertainty or blindness.)
Advanced Usage
"At blind man's holiday": during twilight.
- The children were called home at blind man's holiday. (As darkness fell.)
"Blind man's holiday" is often used poetically or in older literature to evoke a sense of quiet, dim transition.
Variants and Related Words
- Blind (adj): unable to see.
- Holiday (n): a day of rest; a break from work.
Synonyms
- Twilight: the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon.
- Dusk: the darker part of twilight, just before night.
- Gloaming: a poetic term for twilight.
- Crepuscule: a formal or literary term for dusk.
Related Idioms
- "Between the dog and the wolf": a French idiom (entre chien et loup) referring to twilight, similar to "blind man's holiday."
- "The witching hour": midnight, but sometimes used for the eerie dimness of dusk.
Notes on Usage
This term is now archaic or literary. It is not used in everyday modern English; instead, speakers would say "dusk" or "twilight." It may appear in historical novels or poetic contexts.