This feels like moments before Autumn arrives. But that could not be the case as "Moments Before" is a term used for photos of people in their moments before death. And we aren't about to embark on a haunting tale of how summer ended the planet.
This seems to be another expression usurped by google search. That's likely because it is compelling to click, rather than being the most common usage of a term.
Moment turns out to be used in so many idiomatic expressions as well as being a scientific term in physics, engineering, mathematics and so on.
It is one of our time expressions - defined with respect to a fixed reference point. Archimedes' discovery of the operating principle of the lever is its starting point in the sciences. The evolution of the term 'moment' in the difference branches of science is unclear.
Wikipedia explains moment in mathematics: "In mathematics, a moment is a specific quantitative measure of the shape of a function. It is used in both mechanics and statistics. If the function represents physical density, then the zeroth moment is the total mass, the first moment divided by the total mass is the center of mass, and the second moment is the rotational inertia." It is clear to me I have little knowledge of mathematics when I read this.
Looking at the idiomatic expressions, there's a great selection of terms:
Kodak moment
live for the moment
magic moment
man of the moment
moment of truth
moment of weakness
never a dull moment
not a moment to spare
not a moment too soon
not for a moment
We can go to Kodak Moments - they are alive and well and publish a photo of the day called Kodak Moments. All the pictures seem to involve people (ok there's one of two dogs).
Taking pictures of Koi fish is capturing them in 'the moment' - where there is beauty in the way they curve, etc. What do you think of this Koi, with its little black marks that seem to say '12'.
How many days before Christmas are there? The twelve days of Christmas? No, not at all. The twelve days start on December 25th and complete on the feast of the Epiphany, on January 6th.
The song that we all know so well is an English Christmas carol, published in 1780. It has been with us for hundreds of years. The version we have today comes from the English composer Frederic Austin, in 1909, when he introduced the prolongation of the verse "five gold rings".
Go to the wikipedia entry and see the table that shows the differences, variations and developments over time. The columns have the source, then the giver, and then 1 to 12 for the 12 days of gifts. There are many rows with all the changes over time. For example, it wasn't until 1966 that "My true love sent to me" became "My true love gave to me".
The song is considered to originate from a children's memory and forfeit game. Each person repeats the gifts and when he/she misses one, he pays a forfeit (a kiss or sweetmeat) for the mistake.
Does this song have a secret religious meaning? History Myths Debunked website says no, and a resounding no.
Are there some notable parodies? Yes - a long list in the Wikipedia entry. Still featured on the radio today is Irish actor Frank Kelly's recording "Christmas Countdown" in 1982 in which a man named Gobnait O’Lunacy receives 12 different Christmas gifts from a lady named Nuala. As each gift is received, the man gets increasingly upset with the person who sent them.
And did you know this song gave rise to a Christmas Price Index? It started in 1984. There is a total of 364 items, assuming they are repeated in full in each round of the song. The total cost for all goods and services for the 2015 Christmas Price Index is US$34,130.99 or $155,407.18 for all 364 items. In 1984, the cost was $12,623.10.
We see Charles Daley park yesterday - full of snow and tobogganing fun.
