small hours

Etymology
From the small number used to identify such hours (e.g. 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock).

Noun

 * 1) The very early morning, just after midnight, when most people are asleep.

Usage notes
Almost always used with the definite article (the small hours), or occasionally with a demonstrative adjective (these small hours, those small hours).

Synonyms

 * ,, ; see also Thesaurus:early morning

Translations

 * Catalan:
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Dutch: kleine uurtjes
 * Finnish:, pikkutunnit
 * French:
 * German: frühe Morgenstunden
 * Indonesian:
 * Polish: pogańska godzina
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish: altas horas
 * Swedish: