General
o-dark-thirty
What does o-dark-thirty mean?
Any ungodly hour between midnight and dawn when you're being made to do something. Deliberately vague — could be 0300, could be 0445. The point is it's dark, you're tired, and someone with stripes wants you upright.
"Convoy steps off at O-dark-thirty, so set two alarms."
Origin
Riffs on the 24-hour military time format (e.g. 0530 = 'zero five thirty'). The 'dark' bit acknowledges that whatever time it is, the sun isn't up yet.
Frequently asked questions
What does O-dark-thirty mean?
O-dark-thirty means stupidly early — some hour before sunrise that doesn't deserve a real name.
How do you use O-dark-thirty in a sentence?
"We had to be up at O-dark-thirty to catch the flight."
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