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The other names for the days of the week Posted by on Dec 19, 2013 in English Language, English Vocabulary

I’m sure you learned the names of the days of the week in English very early on in your first English class, so I hope you know them well by now. Today I have a more advanced lesson on the days of the week in English. Today we will look at the days of the week within some cultural context.  Here we go…

Monday – This is the first day of the workweek (the workweek is 5 days long, Monday-Friday). Monday is so well known for the day we have to go back to work after the weekend that a song has even been written about this called Manic Monday.  This English song is so well known that often people refer to Monday as “Manic Monday.”
Take a listen here to the song:

Wednesday – This day of the week is also known as “hump day,” because Wednesday is in the middle of the workweek. What this means is that people have worked two days and they will have two days left to go until the weekend. So, they have reached the top of the “hump” for the week. I love this commercial about hump day; it makes me laugh every time. Note: Camels are known for having humps on their backs, that is part of what makes this video funny.
See is you get the joke now that you what hump day means: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBhP0EQ1lA

Thursday – Recently Thursdays have become known to many Americans as “Throwback Thursday,” because people put up pictures (on social media) from a time in the past, to remind (or to poke fun at) friends.

Friday – A saying often associated with Friday is: “TGIF.” (Yes, just like the restaurant.) This acronym stands for ‘Thank God It’s Friday,’ which acknowledges the relief many people feel at reaching the end of the workweek.

Sunday – Although Sunday is considered a holy day to many, to others it is the last day to have fun over the weekend so some people refer to it as Sunday Funday. Young people often have Sunday Funday get-togethers or parties on Sunday.

As you may have noticed many of these other names associated with the days of the week revolve around getting through the workweek and trying to get to the weekend. Is this the same in your native language?

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About the Author: Gabriele

Hi there! I am one of Transparent Language's ESL bloggers. I am a 32-year-old native English speaker who was born and raised in the United States. I am living in Washington, DC now, but I have lived all over the US and also spent many years living and working abroad. I started teaching English as a second language in 2005 after completing a Master's in Applied Linguists and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults' (CELTA). Since that time I have taught ESL in the United States at the community college and university level. I have also gone on to pursue my doctorate in psychology and now I also teach courses in psychology. I like to stay connected to ESL learners around the world through Transparent Languages ESL Blog. Please ask questions and leave comments on the blog and I will be sure to answer them.


Comments:

  1. Margaret Nahmias:

    In Spanish hump day is ombilgo de la semana literally meaning naval of the week,

  2. Valerie:

    What nickname is given for tuesday

    • Gabriele:

      @Valerie Valerie,
      As far as I know there is no nickname for Tuesday in English. Sometimes you see people jokingly write it as Twosday, but that isn’t really a nickname per say.
      -Gabriele

  3. Em:

    Tuesday= Twisted Tuesday
    Wednesday = Hump day/ Wine Wednesday
    Thursday= Thirsty Thursday
    Friday= TGIF

    I don’t know any others…

  4. KROKER:

    TACO TUESDAY

  5. Dennis Martin:

    I heard Thursday was called “Little Friday “.

  6. Grace:

    Hey there I love this Blog. I would actually love to learn more about the English Language as I want to improve my English and work on my vocabulary as well. Any advice?