Idiom
many a time and oft
Meaning
Frequently.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I have thought about moving to the city many a time and oft.”
“My grandfather warned me about the dangers of the forest, having walked those dark paths many a time and oft in his youth.”
“Though he claimed to have forgotten the old legends, the village elder had recounted them to the children many a time and oft throughout the long winter.”
Examples
simple
“I have thought about moving to the city many a time and oft.”
contextual
“My grandfather warned me about the dangers of the forest, having walked those dark paths many a time and oft in his youth.”
complex
“Though he claimed to have forgotten the old legends, the village elder had recounted them to the children many a time and oft throughout the long winter.”
Origin
Formed by repetition for emphasis, the phrase is a variation of the more standard many a time. It remains a fixture of English rhetoric as a redundant intensifier.
Key words
Related idioms
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