witching hour

noun

1. midnight:

   a rendezvous at the witching hour.

witching hour

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of witching hour¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Idioms and Phrases

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.