i mangel af bedre

Danish

Etymology

Lit. "in lack of better [thing]".

Adverb

i mangel af bedre

1. faute de mieux, for lack of a better alternative
   • 2016, Hanya Yanagihara, Et lille liv, Politikens Forlag →ISBN

     ... hendes far, som jeg i mangel af bedre kaldte bedstefar, ...

     ... her father, whom I, lacking a better alternative, called grandfather, ...

   • 2012, Stig Dalager, Glemsel og erindring - Broerne til verden 1, Lindhardt og Ringhof →ISBN

     ... det var hendes hemmeligheder, jeg i mangel af bedre fantaserede om, og som jeg forgæves forsøgte at vriste ud af far.

     ... it was her secrets that I, faute de mieux, phantasized about, and which I vainly tried to wrest from father.

   • 2016, Henning Mankell, Svenske gummistøvler, Gyldendal A/S →ISBN

     Hvad skal pigen hedde? spurgte jeg i mangel af bedre.

     What shall the girl be named? I asked faute de mieux.

Usage notes

Also frequently used preceding some noun, as in i mangel af bedre betegnelse ("for lack of a better designation").