Long Friday
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Good Friday was so called by the Saxons, probably because of the long fasts and offices used on that day.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Long Friday” mean?
Good Friday was so called by the Saxons, probably because of the long fasts and offices used on that day.
Is “Long Friday” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.