The term "Black Friday" originated in the 1950s in Philadelphia, where police used it to describe the chaos and heavy traffic caused by shoppers and tourists the day after Thanksgiving. Over time, it evolved to signify the day when retailers would turn a profit, moving "into the black" from being "in the red," although this latter explanation is largely a retail marketing narrative…

Black Friday. (n.). popular name for the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (which always is a Thursday), in modern times the day which opens the Christmas shopping season..