top of the hour meaning
Matthew Wilson
Updated on August 09, 2026
on the half hour; the opposite of at the top of the hour. (Alludes to the big hand of a clock pointing to the 6. Typically heard on television or the radio.) Hear the news headlines at the bottom of the hour. We will have an interview with Harry Kravitz at the bottom of the hour.
Where does top of the hour come from?
Fig. at the exact beginning of an hour. (Alludes to the big hand on a clock pointing to the 12. Often heard on television or the radio.
What does just after the top of the hour mean?
top of the hour (plural tops of the hours or tops of the hour) (idiomatic) The time at (or very close to) the start of the next hour of time.
What does the phrase on the hour mean?
Definition of on the hour
: at the beginning of the next hour The next train will leave on the hour.
What is the beginning of the hour?
In the modern 12-hour clock, counting the hours starts at midnight and restarts at noon.
What does bottom half mean?
The bottom half of society comprises predominantly households that either have no working members, or are in the most marginal sectors of the working class (especially domestic and agricultural employment).
How do you use top of the hour in a sentence?
The time at (very close to) the start of the next hour of time. We’ll have a news update at the top of the hour.
What is top of the morning mean?
the top of the morning in British English
a morning greeting, regarded as a characteristic utterance of Irish people.
What does hero of the hour mean?
DEFINITIONS1. most important or popular at the present time. the hero of the hour.
What is bottom of the hour?
bottom of the hour (plural bottoms of the hour or bottoms of the hours) The time at (or very close to) half the next hour of time. At seven o’clock, He said to get in touch with him again at the bottom of the hour, so I called him back at seven thirty.
What does Top of the day to you mean?
Essentially it means “The best part of the morning to you”; a typical response would be “And the rest of the day to you.”
Is at the eleventh hour an idiom?
Just in time; at the last possible moment. This expression occurs in the biblical parable of the laborers (Matthew 20:1–16), in which those workers hired at the eleventh hour of a twelve-hour day received as much pay as those who began work in the first hour.
What does on the half hour mean?
Definition of on the half hour
: at half past the hour : at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, etc.
What is nick of time mean?
Definition of in the nick of time
: just before the last moment when something can be changed or something bad will happen He decided to go just in the nick of time. The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.
What is the meaning of question of the hour?
Question Hour. in Lok Sabha. Generally, the first hour of a sitting of the Lok Sabha is devoted to Questions and that hour is called the Question Hour. It has a special significance in the proceedings of Parliament. Asking questions is an inherent and unfettered parliamentary right of Members.
What is our time system called?
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the basis for civil time today. This 24-hour time standard is kept using highly precise atomic clocks combined with the Earth’s rotation. The Greenwich Meridian in London, England.
How long is half an hour?
Definition of half an hour
: 30 minutes I waited for half an hour.
What is the synonym of hour?
A precise or specific moment of time. instant. moment. time. point.