spring forward, fall back
/ˌspɹɪŋ ˈfɔɹwəɹd ˌfɔl ˈbæk/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.55 in modern English
42
Scrabble Score
21
Letters
2
Syllables
15
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
Used to recall how timepieces are adjusted for daylight saving time: Local time goes forward in the spring (usually by one hour), and back in fall (autumn).
Example Sentences
- "[I]f we have to standardize on one time period, it would seem eminently logical to settle on daylight time for the convenience of the greatest number of people. Besides, under such a system, we would once and for all abolish the trivial "Spring forward, fall back.""
- "I think it is important to remember the great push for year-round daylight saving time came as a result of the energy crisis of 1973. It was alleged this action would result in home heating, gasoline, and electricity savings and as a result the Congress got into the spring-forward, fall-back business of daylight saving time. Today, some 3 years later, we find no evidence of energy savings in the home, no effect on gasoline consumption, and that savings on electricity are not conclusive."
- "The first Federal legislation on the matter was enacted during World War I with the passage of the Standard Time Act on March 19, 1918. […] To conserve fuel and aid the war effort, the act also provided that the standard time of each zone would be advanced one hour for seven months of the year, beginning in early spring and ending in the fall. Thus developed the slogan still used today: "Spring forward; fall back.""
- "Twice a year, in April and October, most people change their clocks by one hour. Almost everyone forgets if the time needs to move forward or move backward. If you use the simple mnemonic, "Spring forward, fall back," you won't have to find out the hard way that you forgot to change your clock. This timely mnemonic links the season with the action of the same time: In the spring, the time springs forward by an hour. In the fall, time falls back by an hour."
- "I asked to speak to my mother again, and said, ‘Is it tonight we have to change the clocks?’ / She said that it was. / I asked if it was forwards or backwards; I can never remember which. / She said, ‘It’s easy: spring forward, fall back.’ / I said, ‘But do the clocks go backwards or forwards?’ / She said again, ‘Spring forward, fall back.’"
- "Many areas of the world observe Daylight saving time. On a specified day in spring of each year, many people set their clocks forward by one hour. Then in the fall they set them back, leading to the clever saying, “spring forward, fall back.”"
Etymology
A pun on spring (“(noun) season of the year in temperate regions in which plants spring from the ground and into bloom and dormant animals spring to life; (verb) to move or burst forth”) and US English fall (“(noun) season of the year in temperate regions when the leaves typically fall from the trees; (verb) to move to a lower position under the effect of gravity”).
Word Breakdown
- Root: *sperǵʰ-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌspɹɪŋ ˈfɔɹwəɹd ˌfɔl ˈbæk/
- British English: /ˌspɹɪŋ ˈfɔːwəd ˌfɔːl ˈbæk/