woe betide us if...
we will be in trouble if...
TRANSLATION
woe betide us if… = Wehe, wenn wir uns… woe betide you! = Weh dir! Gnade dir Gott! woe betide anyone who ... = Wehe dem, der ... --- GOOGLE INDEX Wo betide: approximately 136,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Our saving grace — as a country and, perhaps, as a planet — is that so far the United States has not experienced any major external shocks. WOE BETIDE US when the Trump administration is tasked, as it inevitably will be, with handling a crisis not of its own making.
The Washington Post
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Republicanism is a grand machine of government, but WOE BETIDE US IF we bring the
wrong power to bear on the wheel that sets it in motion…
The New York Review
The Washington Post
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Republicanism is a grand machine of government, but WOE BETIDE US IF we bring the
wrong power to bear on the wheel that sets it in motion…
The New York Review
Did you
know?
woe betide us if…
phrase
- something that is said when there will be trouble for someone, or they will be punished, if they do (or don’t do) a particular thing
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
The noun "woe" is defined as "deep distress or misery, as from grief, misfortune or calamity" (economic and political woes for instance).
The verb "betide" means to occur, happen or take place. Thus "woe betide" literally means trouble will take place for the person(s) named. With pronouns, the direct object form is used (me, us, them, him, her).
We still use this old-style phrase, including the individual words "woe" and "betide,"
A more modern way of expressing this thought would be something like
- "we’re going to be in big trouble if…" or
- "you’ll catch bloody hell if…"
The root of betide - tide - has several definitions all of which relate to an occurrence or event. One of the most common is the periodic variation in sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun (ebb and tide). It is also used to describe a fluctuation like the waters of the tide (There was a tide of discontent among the people).
Tide can also describe a favourable occasion or opportunity, or a time or season (Christmastide).
As a verb, tide means "to support through a difficult period" (Can I have 100 euros to tide me over until the next payday?).
Finally, the noun "tidings" refers to information or news. During the holiday season, one might hear the phrase "Christmas Tidings," which means Christmas greetings. And in the Bible in the Book of Luke, after Jesus is born the three wise men are confronted by an angel who says: "Fear not, for behold I bring you tidings of great joy, that shall be to all people."
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Woe betide us if we don't finish this project by Friday."
phrase
- something that is said when there will be trouble for someone, or they will be punished, if they do (or don’t do) a particular thing
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The noun "woe" is defined as "deep distress or misery, as from grief, misfortune or calamity" (economic and political woes for instance).
The verb "betide" means to occur, happen or take place. Thus "woe betide" literally means trouble will take place for the person(s) named. With pronouns, the direct object form is used (me, us, them, him, her).
We still use this old-style phrase, including the individual words "woe" and "betide,"
A more modern way of expressing this thought would be something like
- "we’re going to be in big trouble if…" or
- "you’ll catch bloody hell if…"
The root of betide - tide - has several definitions all of which relate to an occurrence or event. One of the most common is the periodic variation in sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun (ebb and tide). It is also used to describe a fluctuation like the waters of the tide (There was a tide of discontent among the people).
Tide can also describe a favourable occasion or opportunity, or a time or season (Christmastide).
As a verb, tide means "to support through a difficult period" (Can I have 100 euros to tide me over until the next payday?).
Finally, the noun "tidings" refers to information or news. During the holiday season, one might hear the phrase "Christmas Tidings," which means Christmas greetings. And in the Bible in the Book of Luke, after Jesus is born the three wise men are confronted by an angel who says: "Fear not, for behold I bring you tidings of great joy, that shall be to all people."
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Woe betide us if we don't finish this project by Friday."
