op·por·tune ( p  r-t n , -tyn)adj. 1. Suited or right for a particular purpose: an opportune place to make camp. 2. Occurring at a fitting or advantageous time: an opportune arrival. [Middle English, from Old French opportun, from Latin opport  nus, from ob portum (veni ns), (coming) toward port : ob, to; see ob- + portum, accusative of portus, harbor; see per-2 in Indo-European roots.]op por·tunely adv.op por·tuneness n. |
Opportuneness
(See also TIMELINESS.)
field day A favorable time for accomplishment; a time rich with opportunity for enjoyment, profit, or success. This expression originally referred to a day scheduled for military maneuvers and war games. It still carries the literal meaning of a school day set aside for various outdoor activities and amusements, such as sports, games, or dances. The phrase was used figuratively by Aldous Huxley in his Letters (1953):
Industrial agriculture is having a field day in the million acres of barren plain now irrigated.
the goose hangs high Things are looking good, everything is rosy, the future looks promising. No satisfactory explanation has yet been offered to account for the origin of this expression. The theory that the phrase was originally the goose honks high, based on the unsubstantiated notion that geese fly higher on clear days than on cloudy ones, must be discounted for lack of evidence. This expression, which dates from at least 1863, was used to describe fine weather conditions before it was applied to the state of affairs in general.
If you believe there is a plethora of money, if you believe everything is lovely and the goose hangs high, go down to the soup houses in the city of New York. (Congressional Record, February, 1894)
pudding-time A favorable or opportune time; not too late; often in the phrase to come in pudding-time. This expression, now obsolete, literally means in time for dinner since pudding was at one time served at the start of this meal. The term dates from 1546.
strike while the iron is hot See EXPLOITATION.
| Noun | 1. | opportuneness - timely convenience convenience - the quality of being useful and convenient; "they offered the convenience of an installment plan" inopportuneness, untimeliness - the quality of occurring at an inconvenient time |
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