Meaning & use
it's wine o'clock
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrasehumorousinformal
A humorous way of saying that it is time to drink wine, especially in the late afternoon or evening.
Grammar: Used as a complete sentence or as a standalone remark; it does not take an object or a subject change.
Patterns
- it's wine o'clock
- it's wine o'clock somewhere
After a long week, my roommate looked at the clock and announced, "It's wine o'clock!"
The meeting ended at five, and someone joked, "It's wine o'clock — who's joining me?"
She texted her friends a photo of a corkscrew with the caption "It's wine o'clock."
Common combinations
- it's wine o'clock somewhere
- Don't worry about the time difference — it's wine o'clock somewhere.
- announce it's wine o'clock
- He loves to announce it's wine o'clock as soon as the sun goes down.
- declare it's wine o'clock
- She declared it's wine o'clock and opened a bottle of red.
Synonyms and how they differ
- happy hour
- A scheduled period when drinks are cheaper at a bar; it is a real time, not a joke about any time being right for wine.
- beer o'clock
- The same joke pattern but for beer; use it when the drink is beer, not wine.
Word family
- wine noun
- An alcoholic drink made from grapes.
- o'clock adverb
- Used to say the exact hour, as in "five o'clock".
Commonly confused: it's wine o'clock or wine o'clock?
it's wine o'clock vs wine o'clock
Sometimes written without "it's" as a noun phrase, but the full expression is "it's wine o'clock."
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is a humorous way to say it is time to drink wine, so opening a bottle fits. The other options do not relate to drinking wine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “it's wine o'clock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.