霜しも枯がれ時どき

し

も

が

れ

ど

き

Meanings

1

noun

bleak winter season

rare term

Rare literary term for the cold, desolate period when frost withers plants. Evokes a poetic, wintry scene.

霜しも枯がれ時どきの野の山やまは、もの悲がなしい風ふ情ぜいがある。

The fields and hills in the bleak winter season have a melancholy atmosphere.

2

noun

off season; dead season; slack period

rare term

Rare figurative use for a period of inactivity or low demand, especially in business or seasonal work.

この時じ期きは観かん光こう業ぎょうにとって霜しも枯がれ時どきだ。
This period is the off season for the tourism industry.

Kanji

霜frost
枯wither, die, dry up
時time, hour

Related words

冬ふゆ枯がれ
冬枯れ refers specifically to the withering of plants in winter, while 霜枯れ時 emphasizes the season or period characterized by frost and bleakness.
閑かん散さん期き
閑散期 is a common, neutral term for an off-peak or slack period, whereas 霜枯れ時 is a rare, literary expression with a seasonal, poetic nuance.

Built from

霜しも枯がれる+時とき

Written forms

霜しも枯がれ時どき
Standard kanji spelling for this rare seasonal term.
霜しも枯がれ時どき
Variant spelling without okurigana; less common but attested.

Etymology

Compound of 霜 (frost) + 枯れ (withering) + 時 (time/season). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally associated with the bleak late-winter period.