I need an interpretation of this sentence: "Applications must be
received no later than midnight Central Standard Time on the closing
date of the announcement."  If the closing date is, say, August 15th,
does that mean the application is due by the end of the 14th, or the
end of the 15th??  midnight seems to me like it occupies a dividing
line between days...

Hello parrotperson,

Midnight is the exact moment at which one day ends and the next begins.

"Midnight, literally 'the middle of the night', was a time arbitrarily
designated to determine the end of a day and the beginning of the next
in some, mainly Western, cultures. ...

"...  Using the 24-hour clock it is fixed at '00:00', though in some
circumstances such as train schedules, midnight will be used to end
the previous day by using '24:00'."

"midnight"
Answers.com
http://www.answers.com/midnight

In light of such ambiguity, your safest course would be either to
ensure that the application is received on the earlier day, or to
obtain an authoritative clarification from the entity to which the
application will be sent.

My view is that "no later than midnight ... on the closing date" means
the last moment of that date (August 15th, in your example), rather
than the first moment of that date.  Here is my thinking:

- An equivalent to "no later than midnight" is "before midnight."  The
event should not take place later than midnight; in other words, it
should happen before midnight, on the closing date.

- An equivalent to "no later than midnight on that date" is "no later
than the end of that date."  To me, this sounds more natural than "no
later than the beginning of that date."

- "On the closing date" implies that the closing happens "on" that
day.  I think it's more likely that the author of that language would
view this closing as occurring on the last moment of that day rather
than the first moment of that day.

Still, for all the logic or argument in the world, the people
receiving the application get to decide, and they might disagree.  So
again, I would err on the safe side if possible.

- justaskscott

The answer is involved and well worded, but I would have liked more
research (it's called Google Research) and less personal opinion.

I found the "mostly non-Western" explanation myself in my Google
search.  I was hoping someone could find more of a definitive answer,
perhaps from HR types or a business source.

Your opinion makes sense, and it's probably true.  It's still driving
me slightly insane not to know for sure, and there is no way I can
contact the entity to whom I will be applying.

Perhaps this helps:

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/62674.html

http://www.usvisanews.com/articles/memo1177.shtml
"We do not know exactly when the President will sign the measure. We
do know that he must do so by midnight on December 21, 2000."

You ahve asked:
"I need an interpretation of this sentence: "Applications must be
received no later than midnight ..."

In this usage, midnight always refers to the end of the date mentioned.
If it was required that something occur by 11 pm  (or 23 hrs) on
August 15th, you would understand clearly what was meant.  "By
midnight" just says that it must occur at latest one hour later.

An equally annoying question: is 12:00 noon a.m or p.m? Strictly it is
neither, since by definition it is not before or after noon which is
what the terms indicate.

Noon is 12:00 PM, while midnight is 12:00 AM.  But these questions of
AM/PM and midnight/noon are indeed frustrating.

"ante meridiem"
Answers.com
http://www.answers.com/ante-meridiem

"noon"
Answers.com
http://www.answers.com/noon