0
Guest Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary
What's with the 'o' in o'clock??!
Me and a couple of friends were just trying to figure out where the *** the 'o' in o'clock comes from, and what the point with saying it is. Is it a preposition? Like "on" or "of" without the last letter?
Top answer
Yes. When watches were a novelty, folks uses to exclaim, 'My goodness! ' The o' is a leftover.
- Yes.
- When watches were a novelty, folks uses to exclaim, 'My goodness!
- ' The o' is a leftover.
- Notice that we only use it on the hour.
- ' Perhaps we retain the 'o'clock' just for the rhythmic balance of the length of phrase when we mention the time.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
Yes. When watches were a novelty, folks uses to exclaim, 'My goodness! It's almost twelve of the clock-- I'm going to miss my carriage!'
The o' is a leftover. Notice that we only use it on the hour. We don't say 'look-- it's twelve-fifteen o'clock!' Perhaps we retain the 'o'clock' just for the rhythmic balance of the length of phrase when we mention the time.
The o' is a leftover. Notice that we only use it on the hour. We don't say 'look-- it's twelve-fifteen o'clock!' Perhaps we retain the 'o'clock' just for the rhythmic balance of the length of phrase when we mention the time.
00
0
Related Questions