early closingn.adj.
/ˌəːlɪ ˈkləʊzɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌərli ˈkloʊzɪŋ/ Chiefly British (now chiefly historical).
The fact or practice of closing business premises at an earlier hour than usual; spec. the closing of shops at the end of the morning on a particular day of the week.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop hours of business
early closing1825
opening hours1849
Sunday closing1850
1825 Examiner 11 Sept. 1/1 Early closing of shops.
1845 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 25 Aug. 123/1 Those who are striving for the early closing of shops.
1881 Househ. Words 12 Nov. 53/2 That Saturday ‘early closing’..must be a vast boon to shop-people.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 685/2 Scottish Early Closing of Public-houses Act.
1944 A. Thirkell Headmistress iii. 64 Mrs. Perry's sister-in-law..came from some outlandish place where Thursday was early closing.
2012 Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) (Nexis) 20 Jan. 28 Wednesday and Thursday were popular choices for early closing the length and breadth of the country.
Compounds
C1. attributive. Designating a movement in favour of curtailing the daily working hours in wholesale and retail trades, as early-closing movement, early closing society, etc.
ΚΠ
1845 Morning Chron. 1 Jan. 6/3 The progress of the ‘early closing’ movement was detailed, and the evils resulting from the present protracted hours of business in shops were forcibly depicted.
1849 Hogg's Weekly Instructor New Ser. 3 24/2 The Metropolitan Early Closing Society.
1851 Househ. Words 1 Nov. 126/2 That early-closing movement which has fastened the portals of all those magnificent palaces of linen-drapery.
1852 Illustr. London News 17 Jan. 50/3 Early-closing Movement in the Iron Trade.
2003 L. B. Paquet Urge to Splurge xiv. 240 Editors of women's magazines were some of the most outspoken proponents of the Early Closing Society.
C2. General attributive, as early closing afternoon, early closing day. Also as adj.: that closes early.
ΚΠ
1856 Illustr. London News 27 Dec. 652/4 Early Closing Hosiery Establishment.
1888 Boy's Own Paper Christmas Number 34/1 Wednesday was our early-closing day.
1918 Irish Times 18 Sept. 2/5 All early closing shops are to be closed at 5 p.m.
1956 Times 16 Nov. 6/2 The Bill specifies sales for which shops may remain open after 1 p.m. on early closing day.
2005 L. Thomas Dover Beach (2006) ii. 27 It was the shop's early closing afternoon and the place was empty except for the cat.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1825