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Day

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When it begins. (1) With sun-set: The Jews in their “sacred year,” and the Church—hence the eve of feast-days; the ancient Britons “non dieʹrum nuʹmerum, ut nos, sed nocʹtium comʹputant,” says Tacitus—hence “seʹnnight” and “fortʹnight;” the Athenians, Chinese, Mahometans, etc., Italians, Austrians, and Bohemians. (2) With sun-rise: The Babylonians, Syrians, Persians, and modern Greeks. (3) With noon: The ancient Egyptians and modern astronomers. (4) With midnight: The English, French, Dutch, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, Americans, etc.

A day after the fair. Too late; the fair you came to see is over.

Day in, day out. All day long.

“Sewing as she did, day in, day out.”—W. E. Wilkins: The Honest Soul.

Every dog has its day. (See under Dog.)

I have had my day. My prime of life is over; I have been a man of light and leading, but am nowout of the swim.”


“Old Joe, sir … was a bit of a favourite … once; but he has had his day.”—Dickens.

I have lost a day (Perʹdidi diem) was the exclamation of Titus, the Roman emperor, when on one occasion he could call to mind nothing done during the past day for the benefit of his subjects.

To-day a man, to-morrow a mouse. In French, “Aujourdʹhui roi, demain rien.” Fortune is so fickle that one day we may be at the top of the wheel, and the next day at the bottom.

 

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Davenport (The Brothers)
David
David and Jonathan
Davideis
Davus
Davy
Davy (Snuffy)
Davy Jones’s Locker
Davy’s Sow
Dawson (Bully)
Day
Day of the Barricades
Day of the Dupes
Day-dream
Daylight
Daylights
Days set apart as Sabbaths
Daysman
Dayspring
Daystar (The)
De Bonne Grâce (French)