It’s been awhile since I’ve inflicted what I think is an interesting phrase-derivation on you. Today I offer “Red-letter day,” which, of course, is a day of special importance or significance.
The phrase really was begun in church, and not because some minister saw an overly packed church on a day other than Christmas or Easter. Actually, it comes from the days when dates of a church festival would be marked in red on its calendars. The first mention in America was in the early 1700s, when “red-letter day” was used in the diary of one Sarah Knight. Way before that, though, William Caxtyon used it in The boke of Eneydos (translated and printed in 1490).
In 1549 the first Book of Common Prayer had a section with a calendar of holy days. These holy days were emphasized by being printed in red ink. In other words, those were “red-letter days.”
Now you know–whether you wanted to or not….
Happy “hump day,” by the way. And keep your mind out of the gutter. Every Wednesday is a red-letter day because we’re over the “hump” of the work week.