Perplexing Proverb

[Baker, John]

        It is a factual statement that the amount of light is at its
least point (i.e., it is darkest) just before it begins to grow lighter
again.  Of course, this implies an understanding of "dawn" that is
closer to "just after midnight" than to "sunrise."


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Shapiro, Fred
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 10:08 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Perplexing Proverb

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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