Idiom
it's five o'clock somewhere
Meaning
Used as an excuse for drinking alcoholic beverages outside of customary hours.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“It is only noon, but it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“You can have a glass of wine now because it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“Let's open the champagne early; it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“We finished our project early, so let's grab a beer because it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“I know we usually wait until dinner, but since we are on vacation, it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“My neighbor started his barbecue at ten in the morning, claiming that it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“Although the sun had barely risen, the weary travelers toasted their arrival, jokingly insisting that it is five o'clock somewhere.”
Examples
simple
“It is only noon, but it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“You can have a glass of wine now because it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“Let's open the champagne early; it is five o'clock somewhere.”
contextual
“We finished our project early, so let's grab a beer because it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“I know we usually wait until dinner, but since we are on vacation, it is five o'clock somewhere.”
“My neighbor started his barbecue at ten in the morning, claiming that it is five o'clock somewhere.”
complex
“Although the sun had barely risen, the weary travelers toasted their arrival, jokingly insisting that it is five o'clock somewhere.”
Origin
First recorded in the mid-20th century, the phrase relies upon the social convention that prohibits the consumption of alcohol before the conclusion of the working day, typically 5 PM. It alludes to global time offsets to suggest that the hour has been reached in another jurisdiction, rendering the immediate drink permissible by proxy.
Key words
Related idioms
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