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Hours/Mouth

Posted by ESC on June 05, 2000

In Reply to: Meaning of :1. in the small hours 2. down in the mouth posted by fishy on June 05, 2000

: does anyone know the meanings of ;
: in the small hours
: down in the mouth

In the small hours -- I swear I was thinking of this phrase this morning. I was up late watching a movie. Small hours or wee hours means 1 a.m., 2 a.m., etc. The single-digit numbers in the night.

Down in the mouth -- From the Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988): "The origin of 'down in the mouth' is quite obvious. Take a look at the mirror next time you're feeling out of sorts. Notice how the corners of your mouth seem to turn down? Just the opposite of the smile you wear when you're happy!"

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