How Do You State The Time ?

[Canary42]

Arising as a result of something which arose in the Cluechain thread, it got me wondering how you express the time (say someone stops you in the street and asks you).

You check your digital watch and it says 14:55.

Do you reply :-

* Two fifty five

* Fourteen fifty five

* Five to three

* Almost 3 o'clock

[ladybirder]

We don't need watches now we have mobile phones which is a shame as I have a lovely watch.

[Dizmo]

If it's someone I don't know, I'd say two fifty five, or five minutes to three. Everyone else that I know, I tend to stick to 24 hour time format, so I'd say fourteen fifty five. Nobody usually asks me the time, so it doesn't happen very often.

[Dizmo]

When I worked behind a bar, we had a customer that would always say the same thing to anyone that asked him what time it was. He'd say, "It's time you got yourself a watch" and then refuse to give them the time. Lovely man!

[Maydup]

Five to three

[fourteen85]

I would say 5 to three

[fourteen85]

As an aside to Cloverjo, my mum would use 5 and 20 instead of 25, and if it was 25 to 6 she would say 5 and 20 up. She was born in Penge , not sure if that was local to her childhood

[barry1010]

I'm not Welsh and still say five and twenty. Don't know why, my English parents and English grandparents said it.

[barry1010]

A watch is always on your wrist, a phone isn't always in your hand.

[bhg481]

I'm a 5 to 3 man.

As an aside, my grandma always referred to morning as forenoon.

[douglas9401]

Actually my watch is seldom on my wrist but in a drawer of my bedside cabinet.

[barry1010]

That's how the Germans say twenty five - fünfundzwanzig.  All their double digit numbers use that - vierundsiebzig is 74.  I think some other European languages have the same pattern

[david small]

Five to three.

[New Judge]

"A watch is always on your wrist, a phone isn't always in your hand."

Unless you're under about 30. Some rapid evolutionary phenomenon seems to have occurred which has seen a mobile phone become grafted to younger people's hands. Sometthing seems to have happened to their minds as well as tthey seem unable to walk down the street without staring at it.

[david small]

Unfortunately, a valid statement New Judge. My fifty year old daughter constantly refers to her phone upon most conversations.

[Dizmo]

Barry, the Germans would also say 'halb drei' for 14:30. It's an interesting way to tell the time, I like it.

[barry1010]

If a German said that to me I'd be an hour early.  

[davebro3]

BTW - the phrase used by TV etc. announcers "at the top of the hour" really annoys me. Dunno why...

[Old_Geezer]

I'm sure it's a choice made at the time.

[youngmafbog]

Five to three for me.

And yes I wear a Tic-watch, it is connected to my phone so all tests whatsapp email goes to it. and it tells the time with whichever face I want on it 😁

 

[kazza12345]

i think "5 and twenty" is more a generational thing than geographical