lillelördag

Swedish

Alternative forms

• lillördag (more common)

Etymology

Compound of lille (“little”) +‎ lördag (“Saturday”). From the practice of giving servants a free day in the middle of the week, so they could work for their employers during the weekends.

Noun

lillelördag c

1. (obsolete) A day in the middle of the week, usually Wednesday, during which the servants had time off.
2. (informal) A day in the middle of the week, usually Wednesday (cf. hump day), during which one indulges in something a bit nicer that usually only happens during the weekend, such as a restaurant visit or festivities.
   • 2024 March 27, Birgitta Thulin, Familjerna, Lindhardt og Ringhof, →ISBN:

     Eftersom det var onsdagskväll, lillelördag, så var dansbanan packad av ungdomar i sina bästa kläder. […] Dessutom var det bara lillelördag, ingen vanlig lördag när man kunde sova ut på söndagsmorgonen.

     Since it was Wednesday evening, [little Saturday], the dance floor was packed with young people in their best clothes. […] Plus, it was only [little Saturday], not a regular Saturday when one could sleep in on Sunday morning.

Usage notes

A (jocular) excuse for drinking on a Wednesday in contemporary usage.

Declension

Declension of lillelördag

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	lillelördag	lillelördags
	definite	lillelördagen	lillelördagens
plural	indefinite	lillelördagar	lillelördagars
	definite	lillelördagarna	lillelördagarnas

Synonyms

• onsdag (“Wednesday”)