ˈsummer-time
Also † summer's time.
1. The season of summer; the time that summer lasts.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 94 In somer tyme on trowes, Þere somme bowes ben leued and somme bereth none. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 400 Hete of somer tyme. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. x. 153 In somer tyme hym liketh wel to glade. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 345 To Dondei, and S. Johnestoune quhair al that selfe seasone of the ȝeir and sommer tyme he consumet. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. xcvii, And yet this time remou'd was sommers time. a 1660 Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.) I. 87 About 8 o'clock in the afternoone (somer time) he comaunded the horse to come home and make readie. 1778 F. Burney Evelina xl, I thought my cousin would not..have come to town in the summer-time. 1800 Wordsw. Hart-leap Well 69 In the summer-time, when days are long, I will come hither. 1846 Dickens Battle of Life iii, The withered leaves of many summer-times had rustled there. 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay xi, We've lots of 'em sketching about Denham woods in summer time. |
2. The standard time (in advance of ordinary time) adopted in some countries during the summer months (in the British Isles, in 1916, from 21 May to 30 September). Subsequently adopted in the U.K. for daylight saving from March to October (see quot. 1982). Cf. British Summer Time s.v. British a. 5; double summer-time s.v. double a. 6.
| 1916 Act 6 & 7 Geo. V, c. 14 An Act to provide for the Time in Great Britain and Ireland being in advance of Greenwich and Dublin mean time respectively in the summer months..This Act may be cited as the Summer Time Act, 1916. 1916 Times 26 Aug. 7/2 Of the changes which have already proved themselves to be changes for the better, that which immediately affects the greatest number of people is the introduction of ‘summer time’. 1937 D. L. Sayers Busman's Honeymoon vii. 158 October 2nd—sun would be setting about half-past five. No, it was Summer Time. Say half-past six. 1967 [see British Standard Time s.v. British a. 5]. 1982 Whitaker's Almanack 1983 142 In the United Kingdom, Summer Time, one hour in advance of G.M.T. will be kept between 01{suph} G.M.T. on the last Sunday in March and 01{suph} G.M.T. on the day following the fourth Saturday in October. Thus, in 1983, Summer Time will be in force between March 27 and October 23. |