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Burnin' Daylight 

Wasting time that could be better used doing something productive.

Used by John Wayne in the 1972 movie "The Cowboys".
"Were burnin' daylight" Wil Andersen (John Wayne) (The Cowboys)

burning daylight 

Wasting time. Literally, losing valuable daylight hours (of which there never seem to be enough of).
C'mon! Get the lead out! We're burning daylight here!
burning daylight by 1Spectre4U March 31, 2004

burning daylight 

Wasting time during hours when the sun is up. People were often only able to work when they could see outside.
Jimmy should have been out mowing the lawn, but instead he was burning daylight playing video games in the basement.
burning daylight by DIGGERß March 28, 2004

burning daylight 

Wasting time, hesitating when something should be done quickly. Literally, letting the day go by while you are waiting to get started.
Better get back on the road- we're burning daylight and we have a long way to go still.

burning daylight 

A film industry slang term. Used as a way to tell actors and crew to hurry up as natural daylight wanes. Since the sun's position and quality changes throughout the day, sunlit shoots can be challenging to match later in editing, so it's important to get scenes done efficiently. This phrase is often used jokingly indoors to spur on the film crew.
Get your rubber masks on and get back into the swamp... we're burning daylight!

flophouse 

Any house/apartment/frat house/trailer/etc. which is used for individuals to crash (sleep, chill, hang out, lurk, etc.) for a period of time. In order to "crash", one must not actually live there (e.g. have their name on the lease, own said flophouse, etc.). Flophouses are typically used by college students, drug addicts, transients, vagrants, or other unsavory characters.

A flophouse may also be the home owned by the parents of a college student, who after being away at college, wishes to live as if he/she is still at college (e.g. staying out all night, returning just to crash at mom and dad's house, then leaving again), rather than conforming to the pre-college rules.
Example #1
Dude: (Talking to someone passed out face first on the floor of his college apartment) Hey man, who the hell are you? What do you think this is, a flophouse??

Bro: Sorry dude, I must have passed out for a minute.

Example #2
Mom: Where have you BEEN for the last three days? You come home just to sleep?? What do you think this is, a flophouse??!!

Son: What's your problem? I'm an adult now!
flophouse by J3553 November 21, 2007
Word of the Day on July 27, 2026