Hump Day. This phrase means a certain day of the week.

Wednesday

Hump Day is Wednesday.

But why?

The meaning has to do with the days of the week. Specifically, work days.

The days we usually work are Monday through Friday.

Wednesday is middle of the week.

Follow me so far?

A Hump

A hump is kind of like a small bump, or mound.

You can imagine a small mountain.

When we get “over the hump”, that means that we worked hard; the tough part is almost over and it will be easier after that.

On Monday and Tuesday, we are getting over the hump. After Wednesday, we’ve reached the hump.

Only Thursday and Friday until the weekend! So we can say “happy hump day” on Wednesday!

This is a cheerful phrase encouraging people to keep working hard, because Monday and Tuesday are over, and we are getting closer to the weekend when we can relax and not work.

A Camel?

Now, think about a camel.

A camel has a hump. The hump is the “bump” in the camel’s back. So sometimes (especially in the media) a camel symbolizes hump day.

Action

On Wednesday, wish an English speaking colleague or friend a “Happy Hump Day.”

And watch this sweet video of a commercial.

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