Alternative form of woulda, coulda, shoulda

Alternative form of woulda, coulda, shoulda

Alternative form of woulda, coulda, shoulda

Alternative form of woulda, coulda, shoulda

An expression of dismissiveness or disappointment concerning a statement, question, explanation, course of action, or occurrence involving hypothetical possibilities, uncertain facts, or missed opportunities.New York Times, May 15, 1994): "The order of words in this delicious morsel of dialect varies with the user. . . . In this rhyming compound, a triple elision does the hat trick: although each elision expresses something different, when taken together, the trio conveys a unified meaning. Shoulda, short for should have (and not should of, which lexies call a variant but I call a mistake), carries a sense of correctness or obligation; coulda implies a possibility, and woulda denotes conditional certainty, an oxymoron: the stated intent to have taken an action if only something had not intervened. . . . Taken together, the term means 'Spare me the useless excuses.'" (This stems from expressing that someone could have, would have and/or should have done something)

A phrase, often used jocularly, said upon parting.

Pronunciation spelling of would you.

(Scotland) Contraction of would not.

Misspelling of wouldn't.

(idiomatic) The identified person appears to be benign, mild-mannered, or calm (but with an integral suggestion that, to the contrary, he or she really is untrustworthy, disagreeable, or mean-spirited).