witching hour

短语

夜间怪事或奇事发生的时刻（通常指子夜）; 半夜三更

发音

UK /ˈwɪt͡ʃɪŋ ˌaʊə/
其它
US /ˈwɪt͡ʃɪŋ ˌaʊ(ə)ɹ/

词形变化

witching hours 复数 witching hours

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    Often preceded by the: midnight, when witches and other supernatural beings were thought to be active, and to which bad luck was ascribed; also (generally), the middle of the night, when unfortunate things are thought more likely to occur; the dead of night.

    文学 诗歌

    I wanted to get home before the witching hour.

  2. 2.

    A time of day, usually in the early evening, when babies and young children are more fretful and likely to cry or fuss.

    引申义
  3. 3.

    The final hour of trading each month during which certain stock options expire, leading to a higher trading volume and greater price volatility.

    商务 金融 引申义
  4. 4.

    The hour between 3:00 and 3:59 a.m., associated with demons.

    宗教 哲学

词源

From witching (“of or pertaining to witchcraft or sorcery, or to witches or sorcerers”, adjective) + hour. Sense 1 (“midnight”) was popularized by the reference to the “witching time of night” in the play Hamlet (written c. 1599–1602; published 1603) by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616): see the quotation.

来源：wiktionary