... on the eights

Question

I was listening to the local news station this morning and they have "traffic and weather on the eights" meaning at 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, and 58 minutes after the hour.

I was wondering how you might say "on the eights" in Spanish. All I could come up with was "en los minutos ocho". Reportes de tráfico y del tiempo en los minutos ocho.

How about "on the hour and half hour", "top and bottom of the hour"?

Answer 1

How about "cada diez minutos" empezando a la hora y ocho minutos.

No, I have never heard of on the eights in Spanish.

Thank you, margaret! I thought of saying this but it just sounded wordy. I was thinking what short, catchy phrase they might say if it were a Spanish news station. - gintar77, Jul 20, 2011

Okay, so now, I'm curious -- what DO 1st language speakers hear and use in FL, the SWUS or other countries - perhaps Northern Mexico - where the WC is heard? - TejanoViejo, Jul 20, 2011

Answer 2

Why not en los ochos?

I don't know. That just sounds strange to me. Have you heard it this way? - gintar77, Jul 20, 2011

That's funny; :"on the eights" sounded funny to me - in English - when I first heard it, some years ago. After all, isn't it a rather artificial idom made-up by the Weather Channel? - TejanoViejo, Jul 20, 2011

Come to think of it, the Weather Channel was where I first heard it. :-) - gintar77, Jul 20, 2011

I would have to agree with Tejano; it certainly isn't universally known/accepted even within the US... - cristalino, Jul 20, 2011

Speaking of the Weather Channel, I did a Google search (I typed in "on the eights Spanish") and it led to me an FAQ page for the Weather Channel (in English!). When I switched the language to Spanish, I couldn't find the darn FAQ page! - SonrisaDelSol, Jul 20, 2011

I don't think the saying exists in Spanish, I think it was coined by TWC. I've never heard it anywhere else come to think of it. - Jack-OBrien, Jul 20, 2011