any port in a storm
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Probably from the earlier figurative use of port in a (or the) storm to mean a comfort or refuge in difficult circumstances:[1] see the 1657 quotation.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɛni ˈpɔːt‿ɪn‿ə ˈstɔːm/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɛni ˈpɔɹt‿ɪn‿ə ˈstɔɹm/
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Proverb
[edit]- (idiomatic) One should accept any passable option when time is of the essence in an adverse situation.
- Synonyms: beggars can't be choosers; see also Thesaurus:satisfactory
- 1804 Aug. 4, "Levity: Bob Rousem's Epistle to Bonypart," The Port Folio, vol. 4, no. 31, p. 246 (Google books):
- I'll give you the journal, my boy. . . . eight A.M. Bonypart running away; nine A.M. Bonypart on board; ten A.M. Bonypart sinking; eleven A.M. Bonypart in Davy's Locker; Meridian Bonypart in the north corner of _____, where it burns and freezes at the same time: but you know any port in a storm, Bony, so there I'll leave ye.
- 1974 January 27, Dennis Smith, “Playing With Fire Can Mean Getting Burned”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 September 2016:
- After finding both stairwells untenable at the roof, the Captain and the rookie take the window‐washing scaffold—any port in a storm—down the side of the building to the fire floor.
- 2008 December 28, Jon Henderson, “Kinnear: A Man You Can Swear By”, in The Observer:
- He wasn't the most popular appointment, but I think the phrase ‘any port in a storm’ came to mind when we were getting turned down by everyone.
Usage notes
[edit]- This expression is usually used as if it were a complete sentence, serving as an ellipsis of “Any port will do in a storm”, “Go to any port in a storm”, or a similar sentence.
Translations
[edit]one should accept any passable option when time is of the essence in an adverse situation
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References
[edit]- ^ Compare “any port in a storm” under “port, n.1”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- any port in a storm on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- “any port in a storm, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.