Where Did The Phrase “Hump Day” Come From?

Ah, yes. We're finally half way through the week. People have been saying "hump day" for years, but where does the saying come from?

I've actually been researching this one for a couple of weeks and truth be told, there are a bunch of different stories surrounding the phrases beginnings.

Of course most of us define hump day as Wednesday. For those of us that work Monday through Friday jobs, this is the halfway point in our week.

Quora, the question and answer website says the origin of the phrase can actually be traced back to World War Two and the China-Burma-India Theater. Supplies for the troops had to be flown over the Himalayas from India, which was a risky task. The phrase was first associated as a difficult task, such as "humping supplies" from location to location.

Take the concept a little further, comparing your work week to climbing a hill. On Wednesday you reach the peak of the hill, or hump, before going down the other side to the weekend. If you're "over the hump," then the hardest part of our week is behind us.

Another source said the first documentation of the phrase being used was around 1965, when employees started using "hump day" in conversation.

I'm always glad when we're getting closer to the weekend, aren't you?

Whether it irritates you or not, I still think this is the best thing to ever come from the phrase...

Happy hump day! Here's to getting to the weekend!

~Chris Farber