"Back of an hour"

I didnt think this one was particularly Scottish, but it means just after 5. Anything upto 5:30 would be in this range though usually closer to 5.

The properly Scottish term is when you say "half past five" actually means 4:30 as it is half of the 5th hour. (Always a good excuse if you are late for something!)
 
I didnt think this one was particularly Scottish, but it means just after 5. Anything upto 5:30 would be in this range though usually closer to 5.

The properly Scottish term is when you say "half past five" actually means 4:30 as it is half of the 5th hour. (Always a good excuse if you are late for something!)

never used or heard that before!
 
The back of 5? It be 5:15 or otherwise known as a quarter past.

The properly Scottish term is when you say "half past five" actually means 4:30 as it is half of the 5th hour. (Always a good excuse if you are late for something!)

Eh, no. Just as 5:15 is quarter past, half past would be 5:30. Half past the hour is just that, 30 minutes past the hour stated.
 
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back of 5 just means between 5:00 and 5:15. anything else you would just say the usual time.


The properly Scottish term is when you say "half past five" actually means 4:30 as it is half of the 5th hour. (Always a good excuse if you are late for something!)

eh no.
 
I think TheCrow meant the phrase "half five", which some people use to mean "half an hour to five" and most people use to mean "half an hour past five".
 
Reminds me of my late Grandfather, if you asked him the time at say 4:20 he'd say "Four and twenty past"

He was Born & Bred in Taunton, Somerset.
 
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