Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
prep_phrase
In a better situation as against a worse one; used chiefly in rhetorical questions to suggest that the current unfavorable situation will worsen in the future.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: in the green tree
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Luke 23:31, Koine Greek ὅτι εἰ ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ ξύλῳ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν, ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ τί γένηται (hóti ei en tōî hugrōî xúlōi taûta poioûsin, en tōî xērōî tí génētai), rendered “For if they do these things in a green tree [when the trees are green], what shall be done in the dry?” in the King James Version.
