to improve the occasion
Preserved but no longer current.
To draw a moral lesson from some event which has occurred. Occult Sciences (Lat. occultus, related to celare, to hide). Magic, alchemy, and astro- logy; so called because they were hidden mysteries.
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 “to improve the occasion” mean?
To draw a moral lesson from some event which has occurred. Occult Sciences (Lat. occultus, related to celare, to hide). Magic, alchemy, and astro- logy; so called because they were hidden mysteries.
Is “to improve the occasion” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.