ARGH, I hate it when somebody gives me a non-time like that, requiring me to follow up with a question. Example:

"I'll be there mid-morning"
"So...about 9?"
"No, about 10 or 10:30"

So, what do these "times" mean to you:

Mid-morning
First thing in the morning
Lunch time
Early afternoon
Mid-afternoon
Late afternoon
Early evening
Supper time

Also:

The end of the week - you mean Thursday or Friday? Saturday?

The first of the month - you mean March 1? Or the first few days of the month?

We all speak a different "language" and wonder why there is so much miscommunication!!

I know, it irritates the h*l* out of me.

Mid-morning - 10

First thing in the morning - 7

Lunch time - 12

Early afternoon - 1

Mid-afternoon - 3

Late afternoon - 4

Early evening - 5

Supper time - 6

The end of the week - Sat

The first of the month - 1st


I always try to K.I.S.S.

I agree with Sally's timetable.

Since mid morning for me could mean anywhere between 6 AM and 11 AM I have to assume that most other folks sleep at night (unlike me.....) and get up at a typical morning hour ( 6 - 9 AM).

Now I completely understand why my Dad used to get so perturbed at us when we'd say to him "we'll be over in the afternoon". I can almost hear him snickering at me now...............

I'm learning to pin people down more, as appropriate. If my husband says, "I'm going to vacuum that room first thing in the morning", he means 6:00. If the doctor's office says, "first thing in the morning", they mean 9:20. Or something.

Once my daughter said to me, "I'll call you late tomorrow morning." I said, "Around 1:30?" And she said, "Yup." (I knew that "morning" to her meant when she got up, not literal morning).

I understand that some people CAN'T give a specific time, but for Pete's sake, if you're going to say "late afternoon", tell me if that means 3-4:00 or 5-6:00.

Little pet peeves.

Yeah, my kids like the term "Noonish". To them, that never means before noon but, up to 4pm. (NOT OK)

This is exactly what I would think too, Sally!

B2Y - It's too bad there isn't a standard time table that we all could use. It would make life so much easier when people say, "I'll be there in the late afternoon." Then we would pretty much know what time.

Trouble is, "late", "early", etc. are like "lunch time". For us that's around 11. For my friend, it's around 2.

And "ish" changes depending on the occasion. If someone says "Leaving Boston now, be there 6-ish", I'm thinking 5:30-7:00. If someone says "We'll eat around noon-ish", I'm thinking 11:45-12:15. If I say, "What time is it?" and someone answers "Three-ish", it means three or four minutes before or after the hour.

Late afternoon, for me, is starting earlier and earlier...

Whenever someone (usually one of my boys) tells me they'll be over "in the morning" or "after lunch" I ask them "you mean 10 AM?" or "you mean 2 PM?". Trying to pin them down to a time without asking "what time?". I remember how irritating it was when my Dad would ask "what time" but now I understand how he felt and I feel bad that it annoyed me. I hope he knows that. If he does......somehow I think that brings him a sense of happiness!!

B2Y,
I'll be at you house....eh....later.

To us it matters what family is speaking. If my sister and her ENTIRE family, whether they are married and out of town or not, says they will be there at noon, it will mean 1. We just know that you aren't late until you are later than the Wybers!