Idioms

year dot | year one

This page is about the idiom year dot | year one

Meaning

You can say "the year dot", or "the year one", when you're talking about a very, very long time ago.

For example

  • There have been people living in Australia since the year dot, but Europeans have only been there for about two hundred years.

  • People have been interested in the stars and the moon since the year one.

Note:
"The year dot" is more common in British and Australian English, while "the year one" is more common in American English.

Quick Quiz

People have been living in the Nile valley since the year dot. They've been there

a. for an extremely long time

b. since the tenth century

c. for quite a while
a) for an extremely long time b) since the tenth century c) for quite a while

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Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey