woulda, coulda, shoulda

English

Alternative forms

• shoulda, coulda, woulda; shoulda, woulda, coulda; woulda, shoulda, coulda; coulda, shoulda, woulda; coulda, woulda, shoulda

Etymology

Derisively mimics the frequent perfect conditional forms (I would have done this and that) which are used when discussing events that may have occurred in the past.

Phrase

woulda, coulda, shoulda

1. An expression of dismissiveness or disappointment concerning a statement, question, explanation, course of action, or occurrence involving hypothetical possibilities, uncertain facts, or missed opportunities.
   • 1995 November 17, A. M. Rosenthal, “The Great Botch-Up”, in New York Times, retrieved 16 June 2015:

     President Clinton . . . had his clear shot at health-care reform, if we need it, he and his wife, but they blew it. As Mrs. Clinton might say, woulda coulda shoulda.

   • 2006 February 21, Mike Rowbottom, “Retirement talk works wonders for Dorfmeister”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 16 June 2015:

     Rahlves described the team's overall skiing performance here as, "woulda, shoulda, coulda—all that stuff. It sucks—we definitely came up very short."

   • 2008 July 7, David Van Biema, Tim McGirk, “Was Jesus' Resurrection a Sequel?”, in Time, retrieved 16 June 2015:

     [S]uch a contentious reading of the 87-line tablet depends on creative interpretation of a smudged passage, making it the latest entry in the woulda/coulda/shoulda category of possible New Testament artifacts.

   • 2014 December 18, Doug Smith, “Three things to ponder from easy Raptors win”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 18 June 2015:

     [H]e was talking about last night’s game and what it would have meant to have this roster last spring. . . .
     “Shoulda, coulda, woulda” he started. “If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas, right?”

Related terms

• could have, would have, should have

Translations

expression of dismissiveness

• Dutch: as is verbrande turf
• French: yavéka (il n'y avait qu'à), yfalé (il fallait)
• German: hätte, hätte, Fahrradkette (de)
• Russian: если бы да кабы (ru) (jesli by da kaby)
• Spanish: otro gallo cantaría

Noun

woulda, coulda, shoulda (plural woulda, coulda, shouldas)

1. (informal, idiomatic) An instance or moment of regret, hindsight, or futile pondering over a missed opportunity.
   • 1993, Bill Duke (director), Sister Act 2, spoken by Florence Watson (Sherry Lee Ralph):

     But there a lot of talented people right down there on the street, singing their shoulda-coulda-wouldas, now is that how you wanna end up?

   • 1994, United States, Congress, House, Committee on Ways and Means, The World Trade Organization, Hearing Before the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, Second Session, June 10, 1994 · Volume 4, page 113:

     And, Dr. Lovett, would I be correct in saying that your basic complaint is, if you will allow me to characterize it as a "woulda, coulda, shoulda" in terms of lost opportunities and it isn't a good deal and we are not smart doing it, but that you do not take a fundamental position that the U.S. sov- ereignty is cashed in under this agreement?

   • 1996, Shel Silverstein, Falling Up:

     All the woulda-coulda-shouldas layin' in the sun, Talkin' 'bout the things they woulda-coulda-shoulda done... But those woulda-coulda-shouldas all ran away and hid, From one little did.

   • 1997, Vicki Iovine, The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood, page 87:

     Woulda, coulda, shouldas can imprison a new mother and rob her of all joy and pride at becoming a mother.

   • 2023, Marcia Walsh, How to Leave a Narcissist in 30 Days Or Less, A Story of Heart, Hope, and Healing:

     Gopnik defines counterfactuals as "the woulda-coulda-shouldas of life, all the things that might happen in the future, but haven't yet, or that could have happened in the past, but didn't quite."

See also

• the road to hell is paved with good intentions
• too little, too late

Further reading

• shoulda coulda woulda at Urban Dictionary
• shoulda woulda coulda at Urban Dictionary
• woulda coulda shoulda at Urban Dictionary
• couldawouldashoulda at Urban Dictionary

Anagrams

• coulda, shoulda, woulda, coulda, woulda, shoulda, shoulda, coulda, woulda, shoulda, woulda, coulda, woulda, shoulda, coulda