The news is full of strange stories during the silly season.
silly season
idiomA period, usually during the summertime, when news media tend to place increased emphasis on reporting light-hearted, offbeat, or bizarre stories.
Origin
first recorded 19th c. disputed originPossibly from an article in the 13 July 1861 edition of the London weekly newspaper The Saturday Review (see quotation).
Journalists often struggle to find serious topics during the silly season, so they report on odd animal sightings instead.
As political activity wanes during the summer months, the media inevitably descends into the silly season, prioritizing trivial human-interest pieces over substantive policy debates.
- 01
close season
A situation or period in which some activity is forbidden or discontinued.
- 02
gooseberry season
A period, usually during the summertime, when news media tend to place increased emphasis on reporting light-hearted, offbeat, or bizarre stories.
- 03
open season
A situation or period in which some activity is routinely carried on.
- 04
play silly buggers
To act in a stupid or reckless manner.
- 05
silly me
An expression used to convey mild self-deprecation or to acknowledge a mistake or oversight.
- 06
silly money
A ridiculously large (or, less commonly, small) sum of money.