Kelly day
n.— «Kelly days: This term refers to one shift off with pay every 14th shift for all employees who work 24-hour shifts. Northwest firefighters work a 24-hour shift, followed by 48 hours off.» —“Firefighters’ union, county begin talks on district contract” by Charlotte Sutton in Brooksville St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Aug. 28, 1987. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Whippoorwills, bob whites, and chickadees. How do we decide the names of birds and what to call their calls? Plus, the last syllables of Arkansas and Kansas are pronounced differently, but they come from the same etymological root. And: What’s the...
A firefighter named Steve in Newport News, Virginia, wonders why in his line of work, and for some police, certain additional kinds of days off after long unbroken shifts are called Kelly days, Kelly shifts, or Kelly time. The term most likely comes...