Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

In Maritime Canada, this weekend marks the time to turn the clocks back. We have a saying, “Spring forward, fall behind,” which refers to the switch from Atlantic Daylight Savings Time (DST) to Standard Time on November 6th, moving the clocks back by one hour. As a result, we gain “an extra hour of daylight” in the morning, which is beneficial for farmers, I suppose. In the spring, the clocks are moved ahead again. However, not all regions in Canada observe DST.

Not many people realize that Sir Sandford Fleming, a Canadian engineer and inventor, proposed Standard time and world wide time zones. Although he was born in Scotland he immigrated to Canada at the age of 14. In his later years he was employed by the Grand Trunk Railway which led him on the path to standardized time zones for the railway.

I decided to dedicate this blog to Standard Time and the many idioms and expressions with the word “clock” in them.

• The clock is ticking
• Beat the clock
• Turn the clock back
• Wind back the clock
• Run out (or down) the clock
• A stopped clock is correct twice a day
• Clean (someone’s) clock
• On the clock
• Biological clock is ticking
• Watch the clock
• He’s (she’s) a clock watcher
• Punch the clock
• Around the clock
• Stop the clock!
• Race against the clock
• As regular as clockwork (or, running like clockwork)
• Face that could stop a clock
• Five o’clock shadow
• Hickory dickory dock the mouse went up the clock
• One, two, three o’clock four o’clock rock
• Rock around the clock

Let me know if I missed anything, and I’ll be happy to make adjustments.

For an updated list, please visit here.