Perplexing Proverb

[Charles C Doyle]

Maybe it's a matter of synesthesia:  The coldest time of night is (often) just before (or at) dawn.

--Charlie

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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Shapiro, Fred [fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 10:08 AM

A reader of my weekly "column" about quotations on the Freakonomics blog has asked a question that has long perplexed me.  How did the strange proverb "It's always darkest just before the dawn" arise?  We all understand the point of the proverbial metaphor, but such metaphors are usually based on an underlying commonly accepted reality.  It's just not scientifically true that it's always darkest just before the dawn.  Can anyone help me to understand this?

Fred Shapiro

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