On the Twitters this week Mr Matt Haig mentioned…

I am 42 years old and have only just discovered that Americans don't know what a 'fortnight' is.

— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) October 23, 2017

It's true.

So, what the heck is a fortnight anyway? It means a period of two weeks. Originally used when describing a pay schedule – a 'fortnightly schedule'. Somethin' somethin' in ye olde English fourteen nights somethin'. For whatever reason lost in British lore, this word for a schedule is used interchangeably to literally mean two weeks. It's super common to hear "see you in a fortnight" and "we're going on holiday for a fortnight".

So yeah, fortnight, it's a thing.

America has her own word for an 'every two weeks' schedule, bi-weekly. Works well, and in my two decades this side of the pond have gotten all rather used to using it. There's been no hurry to follow their British cousins to use a completely different word to mean two weeks. "See you in a bi-week". Yeah, doesn't really roll off the tongue.

I can't say why we Brits say fortnight instead of two weeks. It's not like it's really that much easier to say, so it's not for efficiency. I guess we're just cool like that?

Yes, yes we are.