as who should say
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Probably a calque of French comme qui dirait/diroit.[1][2]
Prepositional phrase
[edit]- (dated) as if one should say, as if to say; so to say; in a manner of speaking.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 164, column 1:
- As who ſhould ſay, I am ſir an Oracle, / And when I ope my lips, let no dogge bark.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 165, column 1:
- He doth nothing but frowne, as who ſhould ſay, and you will not haue me, chooſe : he heares merrie tales and ſmiles not […]
- c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi], page 143, column 2:
- The clowdy Meſſenger turnes me his backe, / And hums; as who ſhould ſay, you'l rue the time / That clogges me with this Anſwer.
References
[edit]- ^ Nevanlinna, Saara (1992) “As Who Say / Saith revisited: form and function”, in Florilegium[1], volume 11, number 1, , →ISSN, page 77
- ^ Visser, Fredericus Theodorus (2002) [1963] An Historical Syntax of the English Language, volume Syntactical units with one verb, E.J. Brill, page 922