Time zone abbreviations

[Ektar]

K guys. EST does not stand for EaSTern. It stands for Eastern Standard Time. We are now in EDT, Eastern Daylight Time.


You know, it's fine. I actually originally assumed while I was growing up and learning about life that EST stood for EaSTern time. Cuz it even SOUNDS like east! But then I asked, "why is it CST? why PST? and what is this.. EDT I see sometimes?"

Then I explored the possible options; one of which is NOT "derp, I dunno." There HAD to be a reason.


What could the others mean? CST doesn't mean CeSTral. so what could it be? Think. What do they have in common, what changes, and why? They have the S, then the S changes to D. So that "S" must stand for standard, which changes to daylight. Then bam, you got your "T" - Central Standard WHAT? Time.

So now let's move this baby over to eastern. If CST means Central Standard Time, and which changes to CDT, and some abbreviation "EDT" exists, we have set up our parallel for comparison. EDT obviously means Eastern Daylight Time. And, parallel, EST means Eastern Standard Time.

Kablam, we have dispelled the idiocy that is EST means eastern time.