I came across this idiom in a title, in association with a noun:
[noun of a product category] — The need of the hour
What does this mean?
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It's not an "idiom" - just a rather lame pun on hour of need– FumbleFingersJul 13, 2013 at 20:25
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6 Answers
"Of the hour" is an expression used to indicate "of the present (short) period":
- Man of the hour
- Need of the hour
- etc (?)
It doesn't literally mean an hour, but it does imply a short period of time.
Hour here just means a particular point in time. The need of the hour simply refers to some need at some point in time.
Its idiomatic mean " requirements at a given time" according to RPSC
Need of the hour has implication that it needs to be high priority.
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Could you provide any references to back your answer? It's a little low on content. Apr 11, 2014 at 11:19
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1Example : for the people who do not know to differentiate between a "your" and a "you're", knowledge of grammar is the need of the hour. Apr 11, 2014 at 11:54
Most essential need or requirement.
"need of the hour" refers to the most recent need or the most pressing need.
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1Not really. As has been pointed out in many other answers here, it just means a current need, one that is relevant right now. Jul 24, 2014 at 14:47
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1Most recent does not mean the same thing as current does. Nor does recent in most cases, for that matter. Jul 24, 2014 at 14:52
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A thesaurus does not give definitions. It gives only the most rudimentary of equivalences. You should try looking at the definitions and usage examples in an actual dictionary. That will tell you that current and recent, while occasionally interchangeable, have different basic meanings. And again, most recent and recent do not mean the same thing. Jul 24, 2014 at 14:57