How reliable is that etymology? Not dissing it or nothin', but it sounds like the folkiest of folk etymologies (see: kangaroo = "I don't understand").

Yeah, it sounds too good to be true, but all the authorities approve, and it doesn't require any anachronisms or anything. Also the fact that it gets paired with "-toki" makes it less unbelievable as something to put in a sentence. I believe it.

The nice (?) thing about Japanese is that you can make folk etymologies “official” (??) with the writing system. Even if tasogare was an older word with another source, as soon as they decide to write it with the characters 誰 (who) and 彼 (that, there), its… apparent etymology?… <i>becomes</i> “who is that”.

The Chinese have elevated this trick into an art (though using it mainly for borrowings, without etymological pretensions).

I've never heard anyone in Japan use that phrase except in connection to the 2002 movie with 'tasogare' in the title:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Samurai

In Japanese though you also get words like "kuchi-biru" which are transparently made up of two parts but written with one kanji because that's how it's was done once upon a time in China.

What, Gen, you don't know any Heian noblemen or Edo novelists?

I thought the same as languagehat, but I hope it's so.

It put me mind of Tasogare no Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HVh7L-VP5s
(acquired via Metafilter originally, I think)

面黒い。

It took me too long to "get" 面黒い. It reminds me though of the fun to be had by inventing new English set phrases using prepositions. So, "calm down" →"calm up" (be less calm); "freak out" →"freak in" (calm down); &c.