Talk:Silly season

When is it?[edit]

Hey!? I thought the silly season more had to do with the festive season?

Examples:
http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/Weight_Centre/15-51-736,15429.asp
http://au.smallbusiness.yahoo.com/switzer/business/06122005/silly_season_strategies.html
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media/archives_2003/silly_season
(Unsigned comment from 155.143.18.13)

Nope. In the UK it's definitely the period when Parliament is in recess and in the absence of big political stories, the media start scraping the barrel.

Because this article needs a reference, I just went to check and found it in both Brewers and Brewers 20th century (see Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable). I am not sure how much of a definition we are allowed to quote in the article: I wish we could include all of this because it's great:

An old journalistic expression for the part of the year when Parliament and the Law Courts are not sitting (about August and September), when, though lack of news, the papers had to fill their columns with trivial items, such as news of giant gooseberries and sea serpents, and long correspondence on subjects of ephemeral or little interest.

Not sure how much we could/should use in the article, but updated the article with references.

--Telsa 09:49, 15 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In Australia the meaning definately more pertains to the christmas/new year holiday period. Which i guess was a natural progression from its meaning elsewhere as the Australian Summer conincides with the festive season. Rafy 13:59, 22 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Examples?[edit]

At 20:22 on 3 June 2004 User:Safety Cap wrote:-

"A side-effect of stirring up the public in this manner comes when an authentic story is dismissed as a prank, or when a superfluous story is taken as legitimate (cf: The Sun, The National Enquirer etc)."

Some examples of these stories would be useful. Anthony Appleyard 09:52, 17 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What about when Barak Obama used the term at the debates with Hillary Clinton in Austin? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.215.202.222 (talk) 06:49, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In America the politicians say many far fetched things during campaigns, and the campaigns also are often referred to as the silly season. Sean Hannity has used the term on air and similarly ABC used it in this headline. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/politics/poll_sillyseason030501.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.181.195.40 (talk) 12:03, 13 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sports?[edit]

"It also refers to off-seasons in sports, such as NFL, NBA or Formula One" Since when is NFL and NBA sports? :)

Also this is very sided towards the US, it is definatly used in the same way in europe, mainly so for soccer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mvhtnb (talk • contribs) 23:33, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Short Story[edit]

"The Silly Season" is the title of a short story by Cyril M. Kornbluth, originally printed in the 1967 anthology, "Tomorrow the Stars". —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bizzybody (talk • contribs) 04:43, 3 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Tomorrow, the Stars was first published in 1952. I own a paperback printed in 1953. The Kornbluth story is included. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 05:22, 16 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Silly Season in Australia[edit]

In the Top end of Australia, "silly season" can also mean the period between the Dry season and the wet. During this period, the crime rate and suicide rate rises noticeably as the extreme humidity drives people crazy. It is more commonly known as the "build-up" or "mango madness" [1] [2], but I think it should be included here as well. Hypershock (talk) 09:26, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In other parts of Australia (at least in Perth), "silly season" refers to the December period where activities associated with the end of school year (arts performances, social dances, parties, sports competition finals etc.) collide with the Christmas season for shopping as well as for corporate parties...

Does anybody object to adding a dis-ambiguation for "silly season"? Mrgs123 (talk) 18:01, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like the Australian use of silly season to refer to the summer months when official things like parliament are not sitting, business winds down, etc., is exactly the same as the UK meaning. I am Australian and equate "silly season" with summer, especially in relation to TV and the repeats and unpopular failures that flood the TV schedules over summer. This is because TV ratings are not taken over the silly season. I don't really associate "silly season" with only December, but with all the summer period. That Christmas occurs at this time is incidental - the changes to TV ratings, business winding down, etc occurs because it is summer not because it is Christmas. Arguably many office parties at this time are "wind down" or "end of year" parties that happen before the quieter summer period begins, even if there was no Christmas, end of years parties before the summer break would still be held. In terms of the TV context, see for example: [3]. Format (talk) 01:33, 8 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]