witching hour

American  

noun

1. midnight.

   a rendezvous at the witching hour.

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witching hour British  

noun

1. the hour at which witches are supposed to appear, usually midnight

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witching hour Idioms  

1. Midnight, as in They arrived just at the witching hour. This term alludes to older superstitions concerning a time appropriate to witchcraft and other supernatural occurrences. Shakespeare and others wrote of “the witching time of night.” The precise phrase was first recorded in 1835.

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Etymology

Origin of witching hour

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Dusk is the witching hour at Accra Zoo.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2023

It was approaching 10 p.m., the witching hour when the hotel’s restaurant, like those throughout the city, is required to close in compliance with restrictions imposed because of the countrywide rise in coronavirus cases.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2020

It's the closest to that witching hour we've ever been.

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2020

Speaking of midnight, that seemed to be the witching hour for most of the guests, who were heading off to even more exclusive, no-press-allowed parties held by Madonna and Jay-Z.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2020

Perhaps, she told herself, this was what they called the witching hour.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl