Daylight Saving Time?

Question

Daylight Saving Time...Wouldn't it be more accurately thought of , even expressed - Daylight Shifting Time?

Seven answers. Only two out of seven got it. Sheesh!

Answer 1

Nope... because when the sun goes down later, we are saving more daylight.

Answer 2

Daylight Shifting Day? no that doesn't sound right at all but Daylight Savings Time sounds much better

Answer 3

Totally agree with you. I read in USA today that Daylight Saving Time is ridiculous because, "Time cannot be saved and time cannot be altered." Man tread in too many places where man should not. So those in charge thinks their the smartest and the greatest. Oh well, we shall see.

Answer 4

The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS Time.

Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Similar examples would be a mind expanding book or a man eating tiger. Saving is used in the same way as saving a ball game, rather than as a savings account.

Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more mellifluously off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.

Adding to the confusion is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not as politically desirable.

What makes the term "Daylight Saving Time" official? It's the law - as enacted in Acts of the Congress of The United States of America:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS OF THE TWO HOUSES OF CONGRESS

March 19, 1918.
[S. 1854] [Public, No. 106.]

CHAPTER 24
An Act To SAVE DAYLIGHT and to provide standard time, for the United States.

Sec. 3. That at two o'clock antemeridian of the last Sunday. in March of each year the standard time of each. zone shall be advanced one hour, and at two o'clock antemeridian of the last Sunday in October in each year the standard time of each zone shall, by the retarding of one hour, be returned to the mean astronomical time of the degree of longitude governing said zone, so that between the last Sunday in March at two o'clock antemeridian and the last Sunday in October at two o'clock antemeridian in each year, the standard time in each zone shall be one how' in advance of the mean astronomical time of the degree of longitude governing each zone, respectively.

LAWS AND CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS
ENACTED DURING THE SECOND SESSION OF THE
SEVENTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

January 20, 1942
[S.2160] [Public Law 403]

CHAPTER 7
AN ACT To promote the national security and defense by establishing DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That beginning at 2 o'clock antemeridian of the twentieth day after the date of enactment of this Act, the standard time of each zone established pursuant to the Act entitled "An Act to save daylight and to provide standard time for the United States", approved March 19, 1918, as amended, shall be advanced one hour.

Sxc. 2. This Act shall cease to be in effect six months after the termination of the present war or at such earlier date as the Congress shall by concurrent resolution designate, and at 2 o'clock antemeridian of the last Sunday in the calendar month following the calendar month during which this Act ceases to be in effect the standard time of each zone shall be returned to the mean astronomical time of the degree of longitude governing the standard time for such zone as provided in such Act of March 19, 1918, as amended.

Approved, January 20, 1942.


Bottom line: You are right - "shifting" is more accurate . . . but since when does anyone expect politicians to care about accuracy if it gets in the way of whatever their agenda or ideology or dogma is?

Answer 5

I guese but then again the point of dayligth saving time is saving ligth.

Answer 6

or take the dayligh out and just call it an unnatural shift in time

Answer 7

I totally agree!

Answer 8

Yes, how about screw with us so we lose an hour of sleep