in a manner of speaking
English edit
Etymology edit
From in + an alteration of Middle English a maner of speche (“a manner of literary style”).
Prepositional phrase edit
- As it were; figuratively speaking; in a manner, in a way, in a certain respect.
- Synonym: so to speak
- 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 20, in Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
- "Well, well, cap'n," returned the sea-cook, ". . . Why, there you all are together like a happy family, in a manner of speaking."
- 1899 September – 1900 July, Joseph Conrad, chapter IX, in Lord Jim: A Tale, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1900, →OCLC, page 109:
- No doubt it maddened him; it knocked him over afresh—in a manner of speaking— [...]
- 1913, Jeffery Farnol, chapter 28, in The Amateur Gentleman:
- [H]e is—in a manner of speaking—in eclipse as it were, sir!"
- 1939, George Orwell, Coming Up for Air:
- Because in a manner of speaking I am sentimental about my childhood—not my own particular childhood, but the civilization which I grew up in and which is now, I suppose, just about at its last kick.
- 1961, Harold Pinter, The Collection:
- James. Brought up in the country, I suppose?
Bill. In a manner of speaking, yes.
- 1979, Tom Stoppard, Undiscovered Country:
- Rosenstock. If the gentlemen would perhaps like to try the Alpenrose...
First Hiker. Is that a hotel too?
Rosenstock. In a manner of speaking.
Usage notes edit
- Often used as an accompaniment to a metaphor or a play on words.
Translations edit
as it were, figuratively speaking, in a manner, in a way, in a certain respect
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See also edit
References edit
- Roget's International Thesaurus, fourth edition. T. Y. Crowell Co., 1977.
- Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. Random House, 1996.