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

Friday also marks the regular quarterly expiration of a series of both futures and options on indexes and single stocks, known as “quadruple witching hour.”

From Barron's

Friday also marks the regular quarterly expiration of a series of both futures and options on indexes and single stocks, known as “quadruple witching hour.”

From Barron's

Maybe this duo hasn’t monetized their show quite yet, and if that’s the case, perhaps they could choose a time other than the witching hour to record their macabre podcast?

From Salon

Or more recently, on a cold, rainy December night at The Witching Hour in Bushwick.

From Salon

Henry Cavill is going from “The Witcher” to the witching hour: The actor is expecting his first child with entertainment executive Natalie Viscuso, The Times has confirmed.

From Los Angeles Times