Wiktionary
n. fifteen minutes before the next hour.
Usage examples of "quarter to".
Pushing her cart down to 323, she thought she would give the quarter to Paul.
She hadn't forgotten her intention to give the quarter to Paul, but a quarter meant nothing to kids these days.
I kept dozing off from cat-induced lack of oxygen and then waking up, lighting matches, and trying to read my pocket watch by them at II, III, and a quarter to IV.
I told him that from Saul's home in Brooklyn it would take him a good hour and a quarter to drive to the rendezvous, whereas we could make it easy in thirty minutes.
A quarter to ten last evening, in front of her house, as she got out of her car.
It was barely after six, and the last time they'd collapsed it had been quarter to.
He looked all around him, to find his direction, but the cliffs of Sant, which he had descended, were invisible - every way was like every other way, he had no idea which quarter to attack.
All three of them could have met Giuseppe at an arranged meeting-place somewhere in London between the hours of eleven and a quarter to two.
Then, determinedly bright and cheerful, he went into Stecker's room, ordered an enormous breakfast from room service, and then explained that they really shouldn't eat too much, for they were meeting his Aunt Ramona for lunch at quarter to one.