graveyard shift

noun

Etymology

By association of the spooky, cold and silent properties of both the night and graveyards.

Definitions

  1. A work shift late at night, especially one from midnight to 8 AM on a three-shift…

    A work shift late at night, especially one from midnight to 8 AM on a three-shift schedule.

    • Near-synonym: night shift (sometimes synonymous; sometimes coordinate)
    • I had to work the graveyard shift for most of that year, and at first I hated it, but eventually I even kind of liked it, in some ways.
    • Now she's workin' the graveyard shift at the hospital. She'll be comin' home in less than an hour and a half. Make your phone calls, talk to your people, then get the fuck out of my house.
  2. A group of workers who work during this time slot.

    • Near-synonym: night shift (sometimes synonymous; sometimes coordinate)
    • You'll have to ask the graveyard shift — the equipment was here when we left.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for graveyard shift. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA