a hair past a freckle
English
Noun
a hair past a freckle
- (humorous) Said when asked the time, humorously indicating that one does not know or does not care to check, or that one is not wearing a wristwatch and that nothing is to be seen on the wrist but hairs and freckles.
- 1987, Joan Silber, In the City, New York: Penguin Books, published 1988, →ISBN, page 91:
- "What time is it?" she said.¶ "A hair past a freckle," he said, pretending to look at his wrist.
- 1994, Terry & Wayne Baltz, The Invisible Kid and the Killer Cat, Fort Collins: Prairie Divide Productions, →ISBN, page 85:
- Eddie cocked his elbow and looked at his watch-less wrist. "A hair past a freckle, Eastern Elbow Time," he said. He gave Mrs. Marvelle his goofy grin.
- 2006, Jeff House, Writing Is Dialogue, Norwood: Christopher-Gordon, →ISBN, page 178:
- I bussed it to The New Fruiton Times building and arrived at a hair past a freckle. I don't own a watch either.
- 2010, Alan Call, The Warf-A-Tron Report, Xlibris, →ISBN:
- "What time it is?"[sic] Jim looked at his empty wrist and said, "Just a hair past a freckle."
- 2011, Adrianne Byrd, King's Passion, New York: Kimani Press, →ISBN, pages 42–43:
- "What time is it?" the guy asked, looking at his wrist and seeming disappointed to discover that he didn't have on a watch.¶ Eamon thought he'd help by looking at his own watch, but his was gone, too. "It's a hair past a freckle, apparently."
- 2016, Craig Lancaster, Edward Unspooled, Billings: Missouri Breaks Press, →ISBN, page 222:
- He looked at his left wrist, as if there were a watch there. Scott Shamwell never wears a watch, and yet he always does this when time of day is at issue. I always point out that he isn't wearing a watch, and he always says "So? I can see that it's half a hair past a freckle." This makes me laugh, so we do it every time.
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