What does the 'back of nine' actually mean? Even some Scots are confused by timekeeping term

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scots have plenty of terms that are often confusing for outsiders, but some can even be baffling for Scots themselves. One, in particular, is causing a bit of a stir on social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitter, with people trying to understand or explain what the 'back of' actually means when someone gives you the time.

For decades, in Scotland, when asked when they want to meet or do something, most Scots might respond with the 'back of' a given hour.

For instance, if you are meeting in the evening someone might say "I'll get you at the back of five", and non-Scots are a bit confused as to what this means when it comes to an exact time.However, the answer is a bit vague, and it appears that's the point.Hoping for some clarity Scottish Twitter user @Joanna_Barrett posted that even at the age of 38, she still doesn't know what it means.Unsurprisingly, it opened up a whole can of worms, with one user responding: "The back of 5 means anywhere between 5-5:30!" Read more: 25 words and phrases only Scots will understand While @UllapoolB stated: "For me the back of 6 say, means about 5 or 10 mins past that hour, so 6.05pm ish, but no more."@EwanHunter offered a more concise explanation: "'The back of' = 'just after'.

E.g. 'I'll be there at the back of 9' = '...just after 9' (literal meaning); but 'the back of' allows for flexibility. So, 'the back of 9' might be "'.sometime around 9; if traffic is perfect, it'll be 5 past, if not, it'll be before half past'."While @MalcomCombe was a bit more cynical: "Definitely after the hour in question, how long after depends on how trustworthy your correspondent is.