Why is it that Americans refer to 24 hour time as military time? I understand that the military uses the 24hr format but I don’t understand why the general public would refer to it like that?
It makes it seem like it’s a foreign concept where as in a lot of countries it’s the norm.
Let’s go out to eat, I made reservations for 7.
Are we having breakfast or dinner?
Without context, tough to tell. That’s why 24hr is superior.
Dinner, because if it’s earlier than 7 AM and you’re inviting me to an impromptu breakfast, we’re not friends anymore, and I’m going back to sleep.
Saturday, I’m going to bed at 9. Forensic that one out.
Lunch. It’s 7 people.
Except that’s not actually an issue in practice. In a real-world conversation you would disambiguate with “Let’s get breakfast” or “Let’s get dinner” if you’re not referring to the immediate future. I honestly can’t think of a single time that I’ve been genuinely confused in this way.
Edit: Also, when would you ever make reservations for breakfast? Unless this is a joke that’s gone over my head.
Closest thing I can think of is making reservations for Brunch. Some places it’s necessary.
When it’s unclear I’ll say 7 in the evening, or 7 in the morning, 7pm, 7am. 7 at night, supper at 7, whichever one isn’t pitch dark. There are many ways to go about it.